Army Wife
by Lucinders
Summary: AU: Major Owen Hunt is an army surgeon, fresh out of trauma fellowship training. He joined the army to save lives and to serve his country. Owen's life changed the day he made a promise to a patient that he would tell the young soldier's wife how much her husband loved her.
1. Chapter 1 Army Doctor

When Dr. Owen Hunt decided to sign up for the army, everyone told him that he was crazy to become an army doctor. He had just finished his year of fellowship training at the Shock Trauma Center at the University of Maryland. He had gone there, after he had finished his residency. He was always interested in trauma. Trauma and emergency room doctors were on the frontline, when it came to saving lives. He knew they were needed most in the war zones. He just wanted to save lives.

Not everyone understood why he needed to go to war to serve his country. His mom did, even though she was scared for him. After all, his dad had served in Vietnam. She understood the sense of duty that Hunt men had. Beth, his fiancée, was not so understanding. She wanted him to take a regular job at a Seattle hospital. She couldn't quite figure why he needed to be so far away from her. She was more interested in planning a wedding and starting their family. She just wanted to be a doctor's wife. He had to promise that as soon as he got back, they would get married and buy a house. In reality, he really wasn't so sure about Beth anymore. Being around her clouded his brain. She yammered too much about everything. He needed this time away from her though the fact that he joined the army to do so was probably not a good sign for their relationship. They had sent him for training before they deployed him to Iraq. As a trained medical doctor, he had been made an officer.

He was nervous, he knew. He had been assigned to a combat hospital. It was there he was going to do most of his work. On the rare occasion, he could be called out on to the field, when the wounded could not come to him. He did not think that he would relish those moments.

The days and months were filled with incoming casualties, on a regular basis. There were also the days when the combat hospital was quiet. That was a good thing because that meant that there were no young soldiers getting injured or dying. On those days, Owen used his time to catch up with new trauma procedures as well as write home to his mom and Beth. His mom was not too handy with the computer and would often ask the teenager next door to compose emails on her behalf. She would dictate what she wanted to say and the teen would transcribe it on to an email. She would tell him all the funny stories about what was going on in the neighborhood.

Beth's emails were different. Her emails were always about what they were going to do, when he got back home. As he read her emails, he realized more and more that she was not the person he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. He wanted to break off the engagement but he wasn't quite sure about the way to do it. He didn't want to hurt her because she was the sensitive type but he knew whatever he did, she would still be hurt.

* * *

The day started off like any other. There were incoming casualties and everyone was on full alert. His patient was a young man – maybe about 24. He had brown hair and bright green eyes. He was awake but it was clear he was badly wounded and had suffered major internal injuries. "What's your name, son?" Owen asked. He called the young man "son" even though Owen was only seven years older than this young soldier.

"Joshua Daniels, PFC," the young man said. "Am I going to make it? I have a family, sir."

"I am going to darn well make sure that you do," Owen said. The young man clearly had his whole life ahead of him. "I am going to do my best." The soldier was in a real mess and he hoped dearly that he could save him.

For the next six hours, Owen and his team worked feverishly on the young man. A couple of times, it was touch and go. He coded on the table but they brought him back each time. Owen was determined to save him, especially since he had a family. And since he was a young man, his family had to be quite young, too.

When it was over, Owen was totally exhausted and he hoped that it was enough. All he could do now was hope for the best.

The next day, he went to check on his patient. The young soldier was awake. "Hey there," Owen said. "I am glad to see that you are up. We worked on you a long time, yesterday."

"You're the doctor who operated on me? I think I remember you," Josh said. His voice was hoarse and weak but Owen could still tell that he had a southern accent.

"You don't have to talk, Josh," Owen said. "Save your strength. Yes, I did operate on you, yesterday. I am Major Owen Hunt. We thought we lost you, a couple of times but you're a fighter."

"I have lots to live for," Josh said. He pointed to his wallet on the bedside table. Owen handed it to him. "It's always with me," Josh said. He pulled out a picture and handed it to him. "That's my family."

As Owen looked at the picture, his breath caught in his throat. Josh's wife was a beautiful Asian girl with flawless skin and long, dark curls. Josh said, "My wife, Cristina and our two baby girls – Iris and Laurel. Iris is the older one – she is four and Laurel is the baby – she is just two." The little girls, like their mom, had dark curls but their father's green eyes.

Josh grinned, "They both have my eyes. That's how I know my lady has not stepped out on me. You know when we're fighting across here, we have to trust that our ladies are not getting their loving elsewhere. But I know Cristina – she won't do that to me. I have known her since we were 16 years old."

"They are beautiful, Josh," Owen said. In that moment, he envied the young man and his family.

"I guess you're probably wondering how a good ole southern boy like me, ended up with an Asian princess like that," Josh said, his voice suddenly getting stronger. He loved talking about his family. "I am from South Carolina and we met when we were juniors in high school. She was a transfer student from California. Her dad is a doctor and he had joined a practice in our town. I couldn't believe it when Miss Jones introduced her to our class. She was so beautiful and had the most amazing head of hair I had ever seen.

"I tried to ask her out after class but she turned me down. I asked her out every day for a whole month until she finally relented. Our first date was at the movies. I got my first kiss two weeks after that. The rest, as they say, is history. Her daddy did not like me too much. He wanted his baby to marry a professional man like himself. I wanted to join the army and serve my country. Cristina understood that. So I joined the army when I was 18 and Cristina went off to college. She is really, really smart. Lots of book learning in that beautiful head. Then, I came home from on leave and she got pregnant. Her dad was so mad. He was fuming – you could see the smoke coming out of his ears. She was only a junior in college, then.

"She had the baby but I wasn't there for that. One of my biggest regrets in life. Then, we got married when I was back home on leave. Then, we had a second baby. Little baby Laurel. I made it home in time for that. My father-in-law still doesn't like me all that much but the grandbabies helped my cause. He tolerates me, now." Joshua grinned, but then winced in pain.

"You should get some rest," Owen said. "Thanks for telling me about your family." He still had the picture of Josh's family in his hand. He gave it a final look, staring intently at the face of Cristina, before handing it back to the young man. "When you stabilize, Josh, we will see about getting you to Germany, and then back home to your family," he said.

As he walked away, he could not feel a little bit envious of the young soldier. It was clear he loved his family more than anything in life. He wished he had someone he loved that much. Then, he thought about Beth. It was true he had some feelings towards her at one time and as time went by, it just seemed like a natural progression that he would ask her to marry him. Now, he wasn't so sure that had been the right thing. He didn't love Beth the way that Joshua loved Cristina. Beth deserved better than that, he reasoned. She needed someone who would love her that way and he was not the man to do it. In that instant, he finally made up his mind. He needed to break it off with Beth.

He sat in front of the terminal and started composing the email. Every time he started it, he ended up scrapping it. He finally decided that there was no better way to handle it than to just say it. It was just two lines, saying that he did not think that he could go forward with their impending marriage and that he was very sorry. In the instant that he clicked on "send", he felt horrible for hurting Beth this way but it would be better for them to break now than to have a lifetime, where the both of them would be miserable.

* * *

It was late at night, when he was awakened. His patient, Joshua Daniels, was in trouble. He pulled on his scrubs and ran to the patients' ward. "What's happening?" he yelled.

"It seems there is internal bleeding. Lots of it," the nurse said. Josh looked at him with frightened eyes. "Doc, am I gonna die?"

"Not if I can help it," Owen said. "Let's get him to the OR." Joshua shoved the picture of his family in Owen's hands. "If I don't make it, can you tell her how much I love her and that my last thoughts were about her and the kids? Tell her she is the love of my life. She is at Fort Williamson in Georgia."

"You can her tell yourself," Owen said, hoping that was a task he would not have to do.

"Please," Josh said. "Promise me that you will do this for me."

Owen sighed. "Okay," he said, taking the picture from Josh and shoving it into the pocket of his scrub pants. "Let's get going." In the OR, Owen tried his very best. The first time Josh coded, they brought him back. The second time he coded, despite all of their best efforts, the young man never came back. "Time of death, 3.42 a.m.," Owen said. He left the OR, feeling defeated. He badly needed a drink – scotch but the only scotch to be found was in the combat hospital head's stash and he certainly wasn't going to take that. He found a cold beer in the communal fridge. He twisted off the cap and took a drink. It wasn't scotch but it would suffice. He sat down and felt something in his pocket stick his leg. He pulled it out – it was the picture of Josh's family. He stared at the picture for a long time. He traced the curve of Cristina's face with his pinkie finger.

He had made that promise to Josh. "He loved you very much, Cristina. I am so sorry that I could not save him," Owen said. "I promised him I will let you know how much he loved you." Owen had some upcoming leave and he figured that he would make the trip to Fort Williamson to see Cristina Daniels. It was the least he could do. He felt he owed Joshua that.

* * *

**A/N Please leave your thoughts and comments. I wasn't too sure about this story. I started it and then scrapped it and then rewrote it again. I would appreciate if you can give me your feedback.**


	2. Chapter 2 Coming home

It had been six weeks since Joshua Daniels, PFC, had died on his operating table. Even though the young soldier's body had been shipped back to the US for burial, Owen still could not forget him. That was because his promise to the young man haunted him every day. Owen still had the picture of Josh's family with him. He had started carrying it around in his wallet, just like Josh did. Whenever he opened his wallet, there they were - Josh's beautiful wife and his pretty baby girls staring back at him. He found himself looking at their picture every day. Somehow, it just made him feel better, seeing them.

He was going on leave now. His official base was Fort Clemson in California. Instead, he was heading to Seattle, first, to see his mom. He hadn't told her that he was coming home so it was a surprise. He had two weeks' leave and it was a relief to get away from the desert heat. From the airport, he had stopped to buy flowers for his mom. He rang the doorbell, excited to see his mom. "Coming," he heard his mother's cheerful voice say.

When she opened the door, he said, "Hi, mom." His mother didn't know whether to cry or laugh. She was so happy that there were tears coming down her face.

"Don't cry, mom," he said, as he gave her a hug. His mom, Irene, wrapped her arms around her baby boy. They still had their arms around each other when they stepped into the house. "Why didn't you tell me you were coming?" Irene said. "I would have cooked something for you."

"Aw, mom, I didn't want you making such a big fuss," he told her. "Besides, I wanted it to be a surprise and it can't be a surprise if I tell you beforehand."

"I am just so happy to see you, son," Irene said. She just couldn't believe her big, strong, handsome son was there in the living room. "How long are you staying?"

"I have two weeks leave," Owen said. "I will be here for a couple of days, then there is something I have to do and then, I will probably be back, before I go back to the desert."

"Okay, that's good," Irene said. "By the way, I know this may not be something that you want to talk about but Beth has been around. She has been giving me the third degree, asking what went wrong and why you wanted to break up with her. It has been quite difficult, I must say."

"Ah, Beth," Owen said, ruefully. "I am sorry that you had to deal with this."

"But did you have to do it the way you did it?" she asked. "I mean I never thought Beth was the one for you but you were a grown man and maybe, you knew better than me. She is just so clingy and needy a person."

"I guess that is one of the reasons that I thought it wouldn't work. I think I needed to end it. It was not fair to her to have her believing that we actually had a future," Owen said, shaking his head. "Maybe how I did it was not the best way but when it came to Beth, there was no way that would make the blow of it even easier. She would be hurt, no matter how I did it. She kept writing me about all of her plans about our future. I couldn't let that continue. She needs somebody that wants that future with her and it wasn't me."

Irene shook her head. "I hope you don't run into her while you're here. That would not be very pleasant." Owen replied, "It would seem that it might be better but if I am going to run into her, I am not going to flee."

"Ah, okay," Irene said. "Let's see what is in the cupboard and maybe, we can make you a little something." Owen grinned. After the food he got in the army, there was nothing quite like his mom's home cooking. It was going to be a very good night.

* * *

The next few days were very enjoyable for Owen. He caught up with old friends, some of whom he hadn't seen in years. Since the age of 18, Owen had lived out of Seattle. First, there was college at Northwestern, then Harvard Medical School, then residency at Mass Gen, then fellowship training at the Shock Trauma Center in Maryland. It was great catching up with friends and to find out what was going on in their lives. He was a little surprised by how many of them were married, engaged or already had kids. Everyone had heard that he had broken up with Beth, it seems. Apparently, she had complained bitterly to anyone who would listen about Owen breaking up with her. He was embarrassed by it because he wished that Beth would have the good sense to keep matters between them private.

He was having a get-together at his house, one night. He had planned to fly to Georgia, the next day to visit Cristina and her kids. He only planned to spend one day and one night there. He hoped he could meet the family, relay Josh's last words and maybe, take them out to dinner, if they liked. He had explained the situation to his mom, who had wondered why he would need to go to Atlanta on his very short break. He said it was something he had to do. He also showed his mother the picture of Josh's family. When she took one look at them, she understood, immediately. He was glad that his mother was the kind of woman who would.

The informal party was a great success. It was just good friends, delicious food, lots of drinks and interesting conversation. It was turning out to be a really great night. Even his mom was enjoying herself. He was a little bit worried that she wouldn't since no one would be her age at the party. Still, she was having a grand old time, chatting with his friends. Mama Hunt was always the life of the party. He heard the doorbell ring and he shouted across the room to his mom that he would get it. He got the shock of his life when he saw Beth standing on the stoop.

"Well, aren't you going to invite me in?" she asked. He politely nodded and turned his body to let her in. He had not invited Beth to the party but it seemed that she had found out about it.

"Good evening, Beth," he said, taking her coat and hanging it up in the hallway closet. "There are lots of food and drinks, so help yourself to anything." When his other guests saw Beth enter the party, there was an audible gasp in the air. They were shocked that she would show her face, given how bitter she was about the break-up and the terrible names she had called Owen. Irene went on full alert, wondering if Beth was going to create a scene.

For the first hour of Beth's appearance at the party, things appeared to be fine, though she had imbibed a tremendous amount of alcohol. She looked a great deal more than tipsy, so Owen went to her and told her that maybe it was a good idea, if she slowed down on the drinks. She was greatly affronted by his suggestion and got extremely angry. "You have no right to tell me anything anymore. You broke it off with me!" she screamed.

"While that is true, Beth, you are in my mother's house and I would prefer people not get drunk and cause trouble," he told her.

"Trouble! You think I am going to cause trouble. I am just having a good time in my former fiancé's house. That is all," she said. "At least you can allow me that pleasure. I mean we're not getting married, after all. Let me take from you what I can." She laughed derisively. Everyone was starting to stare.

"Maybe you should leave, now," Owen quietly urged, as he tried to direct her to the front door.

"Never!" she screamed at him. "You broke up with me in a two-line email." She was starting to create a major scene. Irene could take it no more and she rushed forward. "Beth," she said in a very firm voice. "I think maybe it is time you leave. Thank you for coming." Beth stared at Irene, as if she was speaking a foreign language. But after two minutes, Beth finally nodded. Owen called her a cab and she left. It left a sour taste in his mouth. The rest of the evening continued but the ambience had been changed because of the confrontation with Beth. He felt glad that he was leaving for Georgia, the next day. It gave him a chance to get away from the Beth debacle for a while. Still, he felt sorry because of the pain he caused her.

* * *

As he stepped out of the airport, he could immediately feel the change in the weather from Seattle to Atlanta. It was hot and humid. He had rented a car and drove to the town near Fort Williamson. He booked into an off-base hotel and then, drove to the base. He showed them his military ID, explained why he was there and asked for directions to the housing area. When he got there, he asked a few more questions and finally got the street where the Daniels house was. He parked his vehicle in front of the house. The front door was open and there were boxes on the front porch. It was a rather nondescript house but it was clear that it was being well taken care of. There were flowers on either side of the walkway to the house. He got out of the car and had almost made it to the front door, when a tiny toddler came rushing out of the house and hugged his leg. "Daddy," she screamed, happily. He looked down at the toddler. This was Laurel, he knew. Then, another little girl came out of the house. She was a slightly bigger version of Laurel. This had to be Iris.

"No, Laurel, not daddy," Iris told the toddler and tried to remove the younger girl's arms from around Owen's leg. Owen looked down at them. They were so pretty with their mom's dark curls and their father's green eyes. Then, she came out of the house. He could not believe his eyes. His breath was taken away.

"Oh, I am so sorry," the woman said. She was wearing a plain white tee-shirt and dark skinny jeans. Her dark curls framed her lovely face. She came to him and took her children's hands into her own. She continued, "Laurel mistakes every tall man in uniform as her dad." Owen found himself tongue-tied, unable to speak. He stared at her.

"Sir?" she said in a questioning tone. "Is there something you need? Is it about Josh?" Owen finally found his voice.

"I am so sorry for your loss," he said. She nodded to acknowledge his sentiments and he could tell there was a wetness around her eyes.

"Did the army send you?" she asked. He shook his head. "No, ma'am, I came on my own accord. I am Major Owen Hunt and I am an army surgeon, deployed in Iraq."

"Oh," she said, a little puzzled. "Well, I am Cristina Yang-Daniels and these are my children, Iris and Laurel. Laurel is a little confused, right now. That's why she came out and grabbed your leg. My children miss their father."

"Yes, I know who you are," he said. "Josh told me."

"You know Josh?" her voice broke. The tears started streaming down her face. Owen was sorry that he was causing her such pain.

"Why don't we get out of the sun and go inside?" he suggested. She nodded and he followed her and the children back into the house. He looked around. It seemed like they were in the midst of packing. He wondered if they were moving.

"Have a seat," she said. Owen sat on an armchair, while Cristina sat on the sofa, with her children sitting on either side of her. She asked, again. "How do you know Josh?"

Owen took a breath before he answered. "I am the surgeon who operated on him in Iraq." The house became silent with his admission.

* * *

**A/N Please leave your thoughts and comments. Thanks for taking the time to do so. I do appreciate it.**


	3. Chapter 3 Sadness

There was no easy way to say this, Owen realized. He was waiting for her to speak but it seemed like words were not forthcoming at the moment.

"You can ask me anything about it," Owen said, encouragingly. She blinked and the tears rolled down her face. "Was he in pain?" she asked. It was hard for her to think about Josh suffering.

"Well, he did have really bad internal injuries so I guess he would have been in pain," Owen said. "I operated on him, when he first came in. He made it through the first surgery. I saw him the next day. I really thought he was going to make it. "Owen sighed, still wishing that he could have done something more to save Josh. "He was alert, a little weak, but able to talk. He spoke mainly about you and the children."

"Did he call me his Asian princess? He always used to say that," she asked. "Yes, he did," Owen answered. "He said people always wondered how a good old southern boy like himself ended up with an Asian princess. He told me about how you met in high school and how he kept asking you for a date, until you finally agreed."

Cristina gave Owen a hint of a smile. "Yeah, he always liked to tell people how we met," Cristina said. "I am originally from California and my dad moved to South Carolina, after my mom died."

"Yeah, he told me," Owen said. "He said you were so beautiful and had the most amazing head of hair. You know he is right. You are beautiful and you do have wonderful hair."

"Thanks," she said. It was odd when a stranger like this complimented her. They were both quiet for a minute. Then Owen decided to continue, "He told me about how you got married and when your babies were born. And that your dad doesn't like him."

"That's true," Cristina concurred. "My dad means well but he always wanted me to marry a professional man but Josh was set on joining the army. He used to say that there was no greater job that being able to serve your country." She glanced at him. "I guess you understand that calling, too." Owen nodded.

"Yes, my former fiancée didn't understand it too much," he said. "I guess maybe that is one of the reasons that she is no longer my fiancée."

"Sorry about that," she said. "I am not," he replied. "It wasn't going to work out, anyway. We just weren't compatible. Anyway, I didn't come here to talk about me. I came here to talk about Josh.

"Okay, go on," she urged.

Owen continued, "I really thought he was going to get better but he took a turn for the worse that night and we had to go back in. He coded on the table and we tried to bring him back but he didn't come back to us."

"Oh," she said, so softly that he almost did not hear it.

"He had a message for you," Owen said, his voice shaking a bit. This was the real reason he was here. He took out of his wallet and handed her the picture. "Josh told me that he carried that picture with him, always. Before we took him in for the second surgery, he made me promise that I come here to tell you this. He wanted you to know that how much he loved you and that you were the love of his life. He said that you should know that his last thoughts were about you and the kids."

Cristina finally broke down completely. She buried her face in her hands as she cried. Her two little girls stared at her. They didn't understand why their mother was crying like this. Iris figured it had something to do with her daddy but she wasn't quite sure. Laurel didn't have a clue what was going on but if her mommy was crying, then it would have to be something bad. Owen felt helpless, watching her cry. He couldn't stand it, as he went to her and kneeled in front of her, taking her into his arms, so she could cry on his shoulder. He rocked her as she wept. The two little girls hugged their mother from either side. Only when her sobbing ceased did he let her go. She raised her head from his shoulder. Her eyes were red.

"I am sorry for crying on you like this," she said. "I didn't cry at his funeral. I was just so numb. I couldn't believe that it was actually happening. It was so surreal. I kept thinking that it was a nightmare and I was going to wake up any minute. This is the first time I have really let it all out like this."

"It's okay," Owen said. "You can cry all you want. I am here." He handed her a box of tissues from the coffee table. Though his uniform was wet with her tears, he didn't really mind it at all. Anything he could do to make her feel better, he would do.

She wiped her face and her eyes. "I loved him so much," she said. "He was my first and only love. We've been together since we were 16 years old. I thought we were going to grow old together." She looked at him with very sad eyes. He wished he could take away her hurt and pain.

"Thank you," she said. "I am okay now. You have been too kind. First, you come all the way here to tell me Josh's last words and then you let me cry all over you. Oh, my manners. I forgot to ask you if you wanted something to drink."

Owen got up from his kneeling position. "Just a glass of cold water would be fine," he said. She got up and went to the kitchen, followed by her two little girls. She came back a minute later with a tall glass of iced water. He was grateful for it. It was really hot and humid in Georgia. As he sipped on the water, she and the children sat across from him on the sofa. He ventured to ask about the boxes he had seen in the house.

"Are you moving?" he asked. "Yeah," she said. "Well, we are no longer dependants of an active serviceman, so we have to move out, soon."

"So where are you going to go?" he inquired. "Um, back to South Carolina, I guess," she answered. He noted the unenthusiastic tone in her voice, as she said that. That didn't sound like somebody who wanted to move back to South Carolina.

"Will you be living with your father?" he asked. "Yes," she answered in a tight voice. Now, that was further evidence that she really didn't want to go back to SC to live with her dad. He didn't want to pry any further. There was clearly some discontent on her part.

As he drained the last of the water, he got up. "Well, I am going back to my hotel but I was wondering if you and the girls would like to come to dinner with me. I plan to return home tomorrow."

"You don't have to do that," Cristina said, pushing back an unruly lock of hair behind her ear. "You have done enough, coming all the way from…. By the way, where did you come all the way from?"

"Seattle," he told her. "I am on leave and I was visiting my mom and then I flew out here." She gasped. "You came from the other side of the country just to see me. That is incredible. Well, I guess my girls and I would be honored to have dinner with you."

"Good," he said. "Is there any good restaurant in town that I can take you out? It should be early around 6 p.m., seeing that the girls are quite young."

"Yes," she said. "O'Flanagan's is a good place. The girls like it there."

"Good," he said. "I will make some reservations. Okay, I will pick you up, later." Cristina beamed at him. She seemed genuinely pleased to go out with him. Owen left the house, feeling that his visit had gone well. He hoped that she had not noticed how much he was staring at her. He couldn't help it. He was strangely drawn to her, even though they barely knew each other. He was actually looking forward to tonight's dinner. He drove back to his hotel and took a nap. It seemed he was more tired than he thought. The late night from the party and the early morning flight had indeed taken a toll on him. By the time he woke up, it was already four in the afternoon. He was famished. All he had that day was breakfast. He reluctantly opened the mini-bar and took a bottle of water and a chocolate bar out of it. He didn't want to spoil his appetite by eating anything heavy. After all, he was going to meet Cristina in a little bit.

After consuming his chocolate and finishing off his water, he decided to get ready with a bath and a shave. He had brought civilian clothes to wear for the dinner. O'Flanagan's was not a fancy place, so he could get away with just a shirt and khakis. He drove to the base to pick her up. When he got to the house, he knocked on the door and she was dressed in a sapphire blue dress with thin straps. He admired the unblemished creaminess of her neck and shoulders. He looked behind her to see that Iris was in a yellow dress, while Laurel was in a pink dress. The two little girls looked liked living dolls. "My, you all look so pretty. I will be so proud to be seen with three lovely ladies," he said. "Are you ready?"

"Yes," Cristina said. "Come on, girls. I thought that maybe we could take my car. Their car seats are in them and it would be such a hassle to take them out and put them in your car.

"Sure," Owen said. He strapped in the older girl while Cristina took care of the younger one. He then slipped into the passenger seat. "Since you know the way, of course, you should drive," he said.

"Okay, let's go," she said. The restaurant turned out to be not too far away. They took the children out of the car. Owen carried Laurel, while Iris held on to her mother's hand. It was a pleasant place and there were other families, there.

When the food was brought to their table, Cristina was occupied with feeding two year old Laurel, while Iris was taking care of herself. "Do you need any help, there?" Owen asked Iris. The four year old shook her head. "I am fine. I can do it myself. I am not a baby like Laurel." Owen gathered that Iris was mature for her age. He gazed across at Cristina, watching her feed the toddler.

"So when are you moving?" he asked. She looked up at him. "By the end of the week, hopefully," she replied. "There are lots to do and it is only me doing all of the packing. I really can't expect Iris and Laurel to help. They are too little."

Owen thought for a bit before he answered. "Well, maybe I can stick around and help you with that." She was a little flabbergasted. "But don't you have to go back to Seattle tomorrow?" she said. "I mean I am grateful for that help but I wouldn't want to impose or inconvenience you."

"It's okay," he said. "I don't mind. I will just change my flight plans and extend my stay at the hotel."

"Thank you," she said. "You've been really good to me." He smiled and responded, "Just giving a helping hand to a fellow soldier's family."

As they drove back to the Daniels family home, that night, he said, "What time should I come by to help with the packing?"

"Around eight in the morning. You can come by for breakfast," she said. "Sounds good," he told her.

"Bye, Owen," she said. He realized at that moment, it was the first time she called him by his first name. "Bye, Cristina," he said. "You, too, Laurel and Iris." The sleepy little girls waved. As he got into his car, he knew that asking her if he could help was an impulsive move. His mother had been expecting him to return the next day. Yet, somehow, he knew it was the right thing to do.

* * *

**A/N Thanks for leaving your comments. Hope you're enjoying this story.**


	4. Chapter 4 Friends

Cristina poured the cup of coffee and sat down. She looked across at the man, seated across from her. "Is everything okay?" she asked. He was still a stranger, who just showed up at her house, the day before – this army surgeon who had operated on Josh. Every day, since the army officials had come to the house to tell her the news, she had thought about how Josh had died. This surgeon had given her some comfort that Josh's last thoughts were of her and the children.

"Everything is actually fine," he said, with a brief smile. Cristina thought he was a handsome man – a ruggedly handsome type. Josh wasn't like that – he was more the pretty type. She liked the man's piercing blue eyes. They stood out against his pale skin and his strawberry blonde hair. Laurel and Iris were also sitting quietly at the table, observing the stranger. Laurel had gotten over her misconception that the man was her father. She still missed her daddy. Mommy had said that daddy had gone to heaven. She didn't know what that meant.

"Good," Cristina said. "I got some more boxes. With your help, we should be done in two or three days. I don't want to keep you here in Georgia, more than necessary. I am sure your family would like to see you before you go back to Iraq."

"Yes, I explained it to my mom," he said. "I called her last night and she was very understanding."

"Your mom sounds like a great woman," Cristina said. "Yes, she is," Owen said. "She's the best. So what are you going to do with your furniture? Are you going to take that to South Carolina, too? Have you arranged for the moving van?"

"Well, I won't really need all of this furniture because my dad's house is already furnished, so I may sell some of it to other families and donate the rest to Goodwill," she said. "I will just take the pieces that mean something like me."

"Okay," he responded. "That makes it a lot easier." He finished his breakfast and drained his cup of coffee. "That was a great breakfast, Cristina. Thank you so much."

"I am glad that you enjoyed it," she said. "It's rare that I cook for someone else, other than myself and the girls." She picked up his plate and cup and washed it in the sink.

"Well, I am ready. Just tell me what you want to do," he said. She thought for a minute, "I guess you can start with the garage. A lot of it is Josh's stuff. We probably won't need it, so I guess I can donate them to charity. Can you go through that for me? It will be tough for me to do it. Separate them in three piles – what we should keep, what we can give to charity and what should be thrown away."

"Sure," Owen said. "I will do it." Over the next few hours, he busied himself in the garage. It turned out that Josh had a lot of different hobbies – there were fishing poles, snowboards, scuba diving equipment. Most of it was hardly used. It was probably because Josh was often deployed, away from his family. He thought she could get some good money from it. Maybe she should have a garage sale, he thought. The hours passed and before he knew it, it was lunchtime. She emerged from the house. "Wow, you've managed to a great deal here. Some of this I haven't seen in a while. Are you ready for lunch? I did a soup and a chicken club sandwich for you." Owen realized he did feel hungry. "Yes, I am definitely ready for lunch." He followed her back into the house and washed his hands in the bathroom. As he sat at the kitchen table, she brought him a bowl of chicken noodle soup and his sandwich. He gratefully took a sip of the soup. "Ooh, that is good," he said. "By the way, I have been thinking that while we could give some of the stuff to charity, it might be a good idea if we have a garage sale. That way, you can cut down on the amount of stuff you can carry to South Carolina and make some money with the rest."

"That does sound like a fantastic idea," she said. "I can put up flyers around the neighborhood. Given our present status, the girls and I could really use the money. Plus the girls have tons of clothes that they have outgrown."

They worked assiduously over the next two days, packing the things that she was going to carry to South Carolina in boxes and making donations to Goodwill. The rest was going to be sold, including all of Josh's hobby items. The garage sale was a tremendous success. Almost everything was sold and when it was over, Cristina felt a tremendous lightness about having got rid of so much stuff. She felt quite elated. When she and Owen counted the money, they both had to admit it was a great haul.

Later that evening, after dinner, they both sat on the porch, having some coffee. The children had already been put to bed, so it was just the two adults, enjoying each other's company. Owen noted that Cristina's mood had changed from the high that she had experienced earlier. She seemed a little melancholic. Her time here at this house was coming to an end, he knew. He wondered if that was the reason. This house probably held lots of memories of her husband.

"You seem sad," he said. "I am, a bit," she admitted.

"Is it about moving back to South Carolina?" he ventured to ask. "I am gathering that you are not too enthusiastic about moving back there."

"How did you know?" she asked. "There are a lot of reasons. I mean I don't have a lot of choices right now. It's not where I would want to go but I have two little girls to think about and Josh is no longer around. They need a roof over their heads and I need to start somewhere before I can go out on my own. Our finances are not exactly the best. I spent the last six years in college and grad school, so I am not exactly rolling in money. We do get Josh's gratuity and life insurance benefits which I have to admit, are a lot but I don't want to touch that at all. I want to leave that for the kids' college education. I have to make sure that they will go to college. Josh would want that. College tuition is so high now, who knows how much that will cost when they are 18? What if they are both brilliant and want to go to Ivy League schools?"

"Well, at least it is a start, when you get on your own two feet, you can move out and get your own place," he said, hoping he could encourage her. "Plus you get the widows' annuity."

"Yes but the payment is not enough to cover rent, food, utilities, clothing and day care. Day care – that is a real killer," she sighed. "So I guess I will have to buck it up. Can I be honest with you? Over the past few days, I think that we have become friends. Is that not so?"

"Yes, we have," he said. "And it is a friendship I think I am going to cherish." He gave her a warm smile.

"Thank you for saying that," Cristina said. She got up and stared out at the street. "I love my father very much. All we had was each other when my mom died. We get along fine except for one thing. Josh. He has never liked Josh very much. I guess he thought that Josh would never measure up to much because he didn't have a college degree. He never understood Josh. He always thought that Josh would bring me down. He didn't accept that I loved Josh. I mean having the girls made it a little bit better but not much. I know he loves me but I don't want my girls hearing their grandfather saying that their dad was a loser. That is not what I want them to hear. I want them to love the memory of their father. He was a good man and he loved us very much. I want them to respect him." A tear rolled down her face. She turned to face him.

"And that is not all. Other than my dad saying derogatory things about Josh, there is also my step-mom, Beatrice. My dad got re-married two years ago. Beatrice and I do not get along. She isn't too happy that we are going to be moving in. She has been ruling the roost for the past two years and she doesn't want to share the house or my father with me and the kids," Cristina continued. "It is going to be a nightmare living there because she hates children. My girls are not all that bad but they are little kids. They get messy, they leave their toys around. Beatrice does not understand that because she never had kids herself. I think I am going to hate living there. I hope that it will only be for a little while until I get a good job."

Owen listened, attentively. He wasn't too sure about what to say. He didn't know her father and stepmother to be able to say that it wasn't going to be so terrible. So he got up and gave her a hug. She rested her head on his shoulder. They stood there, with his arms around her, in silence.

* * *

The next day, he was going to leave for the airport to catch his flight to Seattle. He checked out of the hotel and made it across to Cristina's house to say goodbye. He knocked on the door and it was opened by Iris.

"Hello, Iris," he said. "Can you call your mommy?" Iris nodded and disappeared. She came back with Cristina, who was being followed by Laurel. "Hey, Owen," she said, with a huge smile. "What brings you by so early?"

"Well, since I am done here, I am going back to Seattle this morning. I have a couple of days left, so I want to spend it with my mother before they ship me back to Iraq," he said. "I came to say goodbye." He could see how her face fell at the news. "Oh," she said. "Well, it is good of you to come by to say farewell."

"Yes," he answered. "It has been so good to meet you and the girls. I am really glad I came."

"You've been wonderful to us. Especially to come here and tell me about Josh," she said. "Not many people would have taken the time to do so. I thank you for that. I will be able to tell the girls, when they get older, how much their daddy loved them and that his last thoughts were about them."

"Well, I better go, now," he said. "I have put off leaving longer than I had planned." He bent down and gave Iris and Laurel hugs. "Goodbye, sweet babies. Be good." He stood up and dug into his pocket and pulled out a piece of paper. "This is my number and my email address. I want to keep in touch. So feel free to call me or email me." She took the piece of paper from him and stared at it for a few seconds.

"I will," she said. She reached up and kissed him on the cheek. Her soft lips on his face gave him goose bumps. "Goodbye, Owen. Thank you for everything. You are indeed a good friend."

"Goodbye," he said. He walked back to his car and took a final look at the three of them, standing in their doorway, waving at him. They looked so forlorn, he thought. As he drove away, he just felt a piece of himself there. He tried to think about going back to Seattle but all he could think about was Cristina and her kids and how miserable they were going to be, living in South Carolina. He couldn't deny that he was drawn to her. There was something about her. He just felt the need to protect her.

He reached the airport and was about to drop off his rental car, when he made a sudden U-turn. He was headed back to the army-base. He had an idea. It was a truly crazy, impulsive idea. One had to take a leap of faith to even consider it.

He rushed back to the army base and drove to the Daniels home. He rapidly knocked on the door. It was Cristina who opened the door, this time. She was flabbergasted to see him standing on her porch.

"Owen, what are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be at the airport?" she asked.

"Yes, I am," he said. "But I was thinking about you and the girls and how you're going to live in South Carolina. I think I may have the solution to your problems. It may sound like an unlikely answer but hear me out, please." With a puzzled look, she let him in.

"Okay, so what is your solution?" she asked.

"Marry me," he said.

* * *

**A/N Please leave your thoughts and comments. I really do appreciate when you take the time to do so.**


	5. Chapter 5 The Decision

"What! What are you saying?" she said. "Are you out of your mind?"

"I am not but you have to hear me out. Do you really want to go to South Carolina and live with your dad and your step-mom?" he asked.

"No, you know that I don't want to go. I told you that last night," she said. "But it doesn't mean that I am contemplating marriage at this point. I barely know you. Up to a couple of days ago, I didn't even know you were. Plus my husband just died, a little under two months ago. That just seems so crazy."

"Okay, let's just thrash this through. I thought about this while I was driving to the airport. Here are the pros. First of all, I have a two-bedroom off-base apartment near Fort Clemson in California. I get an allowance from the army for the apartment. It is unoccupied because I am not there but you and the girls could stay there," he told her.

"California. I miss California. I miss the beach and the warm weather," she said. "You know I am from California."

"Yes," he said. "I know that. You could get the warm weather and the beaches. The base is not that far from the beach. You can take a drive and you will be there in 15 minutes. I am sure the girls would love to go to the beach."

"Then, as dependants of an active serviceman, you can get all of the military benefits to which you are accustomed. You can shop at the PX. We have a daycare center there and there are schools on the base," he said. "Plus you can look for a job, too."

"Also, I will apply for on-base housing," he added. "We could get a three-bedroom house. It may take a while but I am sure we could get one. So what do you think?"

"Um," she said, a little unsure. "I can see all of the benefits that the girls and I would get out of this deal. What about you? What do you get from this? Do you expect me to do all of the wifely duties?" She was really asking him if he expected her to sleep with him.

"No," he said firmly. "I am not expecting that. Well, if we get the three-bedroom house, you can have a room, the girls can have a room and I can have a room. This is just a marriage of convenience. I just want to do this for you. I don't want you guys to be miserable in South Carolina, in a place where you are all not wanted. It would bother me so much that you all are unhappy."

He added, "Plus it works out fine. I am going back to Iraq in a couple of days and you can have the apartment to yourselves. Hopefully, by the time I get back on my next leave, you would be out of the apartment and into on-base housing."

After a pause, she finally said, "This is very kind of you. But I have to think about it."

"Well, you can't think too long. I am going to reschedule my flight for tonight but if you want to do this, we should get married, today, so I can get you and the girls to California before I leave for Iraq," he said.

"Oh my God, this is so rushed," she said. "My head is going to explode. There is so much to think about. I am going to lie down for a bit. You can help yourself to some coffee." She went to her bedroom, while Owen went to the kitchen to make himself some coffee.

Iris and Laurel came wandering out of their room and sat at the kitchen table, observing him. "Girls, do you want anything?"

"Cereal, please," Iris said with a shake of her curls. Owen found a couple of bowls in a box, since they were already packed away. He found the cereal in a cupboard and the milk in the fridge. He decided to cut up a few strawberries to add to their cereal. He placed a spoon into each bowl and handed it to them.

As Iris picked up her spoon, she told him, "You have to feed Laurel. She is just a baby."

"Oh," Owen said. He sat down next to the smaller girl, who gave him the sweetest smile and showed off her baby teeth. "Gosh, you are such a cutie." She was obviously very hungry and she finished her bowl, very quickly.

Cristina came out of the bedroom and looked at the man, who was a stranger to her, a couple of days ago. Still, they barely knew each other, she knew. He was offering her a gift – a chance to escape from being in the unfriendly clutches of her step-mom. The children would be away from all the negativity about their father. She knew she and her children would have hated living in South Carolina. She had turned over his proposition over and over in her mind. It was such a wild idea to get married.

Yet, from what she had seen and known of him over the past few days, she was acutely aware that he was a good man. The thing she noticed the most about him was that he had the kindest eyes. He had made that trip cross-country just to tell her what Josh had said. Most people would have dismissed that and would not have made the effort. Now, looking at him with her children, she realized that he was a person that did not have any bad intentions. The kids were laughing with him, as he made funny faces to entertain them. It made her smile.

"Okay," she said. He looked up and stared at her. "Okay what?" he said.

"Okay, we will do this," she said. He broke out in a smile. "Okay then," he said. "Let's go get our license. We can get married by the chaplain on this base. Do you know him?"

"Yes," she said. "I will call him. He is very amenable. I will just tell him that we need to get married because you are shipping out soon. Actually, that is not a lie. You are leaving soon. I will just get the girls changed so we can leave. Come, girls." The little girls got up and followed their mother to their bedroom. They emerged half an hour later, both in pretty dresses. Cristina went into her bedroom to change.

Owen was getting anxious. This was a huge decision he had made. He was going to tell his mother after the wedding ceremony. He didn't want to be discouraged from what he was going to do. People thought he was crazy to join the army. Now, they would think he had totally gone off his rocker. Cristina came out of the bedroom, wearing an eggshell colored, tea-length dress. Her curls were loose and cascaded down her shoulders. "I didn't have time to put up my hair," she said, self-consciously touching her hair.

"That's okay, you look really pretty," he said. "Are you ready?" She nodded, as they went down to the courthouse to get their license. In the meantime, Cristina called the army chaplain, who gladly agreed to officiate. They then went to the chapel on the base. Reverend Holmes and his wife, Betty Lou, were already waiting for them.

"I love it when young people get married," Reverend Holmes said. "This is my wife, Betty Lou. She is the organist and the photographer. I am sure you want reminders of the day."

"Uh, yes," Owen said. "Come on girls," Cristina told her kids and guided them to a pew at the front of the chapel. "Such pretty girls," Betty Lou said to Owen. "You must be very proud."

"Yes," Owen said, quietly.

"So let's get started," Reverend Holmes said. Cristina and Owen stood at the front of the church. "What the heck are we doing?" she whispered. "Leap of faith, Cristina, leap of faith," he told her.

It was a traditional, brief ceremony and so after their "I do's", Reverend Holmes said, "You may now kiss the bride." Cristina and Owen turned to each other, each of them more than a little nervous. If they didn't kiss, they knew it would look strange to the reverend and his wife. He took her face in his hands and gave her a gentle kiss.

"Oh, come on son, you can do better than that," the reverend said. "This is your wedding day and your wife is beautiful."

This time, it was Cristina, who took the initiative. She went forward and gave him a huge kiss. He was taken aback but her lips felt so amazing against his. He felt the same goose bumps he had felt earlier when she kissed him on his cheek but the feeling was more intense.

"Now, that is more like it," the reverend said. "Okay, folks, that is it. You are now husband and wife."

"Thank you," Owen said. "So let's take a picture to remember the occasion," Betty Lou said, bringing her camera. She took a picture of Owen and Cristina by themselves and then another one with them and the children.

"Such a beautiful family," she said. She took Owen's email address and told them that she would send the pictures to them. It was quiet in the car as they drove back to the house. They were now married and yet, it seemed so awkward.

When they got to the house, Owen said, "I think you guys should pack your clothes and I am going to book us some seats on a flight to California tomorrow. We will see about shipping your things today. It would be good to get this done as quickly as possible. I don't have much time left in the US and I want to see you settled." Cristina nodded and headed to the bedroom to pack her clothes. Owen knew he had to call his mother. But first, he cancelled his flight back to Seattle, and booked tickets for a family of four, heading to California.

He took a deep breath before he called his mother. When he heard her cheery voice answer the phone, he said, "Hey, mom."

"Hey, Owen. So glad to hear from you. So I will be seeing you today?" Irene said. "How did things go with that soldier's family?"

"They went fine," Owen said. "But you won't be seeing me today."

"Why?" his mother was alarmed. "What happened? Did you get in an accident? Are you hurt?"

"No, mom, nothing like that," he said. "Something did happen but it isn't anything bad."

"Oh?" his mother said. "Speak, son, you're keeping me in suspense, here."

"Um, I got married," he said. His mother shrieked. "Married? Who? What? Where? Why? How? You've been gone only for a couple of days and now you're married?"

"Yes," he said. "Remember the soldier's wife that I was telling you about. Well, I married her. "

"Oh, my God, Owen, I know you have a saviour complex but I never thought you would go this far," Irene said. "Are you sure you're not ruining your life? I mean this is a woman you hardly know."

"Well, mom, they were really in a tough spot. They were going to move to a place, where they weren't really wanted. You should see them, mom. Cristina and her two little girls, Iris and Laurel. They are really beautiful and they are good people, too. I am making them my dependants so they could still get the benefits. I am going to move them to my apartment in Fort Clemson. So that is why I won't be home, tonight. But I promise that I will be back in Seattle before I leave."

"Son, we are going to have to talk about this some more," Irene said. "I can well imagine what Beth is going to say, when she hears of this. Goodbye, Owen. I am sure you have lots to do with your new family."

"Yes, thanks mom, for being understanding. I know this sounds outrageous but I am 95 per cent confident it will all work out," he said. "Bye."

That day, it was very busy. She had already sold her car to a friend on the base, so they had to drop that off. Then, he had to make arrangements for her belongings to be shipped to his apartment. Plus they gave away whatever food that was in the fridge and the cupboards to one of her neighbors. Goodwill also came to pick up their donations. As the house was now empty, they dropped off the keys to the housing office on the base.

The family of four spent the night in a hotel room. Cristina and her two girls slept in one bed, while Owen slept in the other. Cristina stared at the ceiling of the hotel room, occasionally taking glances at the man in the next bed – the man who was her husband. She really hoped that she had made the right decision.

* * *

The next day, the new family boarded a flight to their new life in California. When they got to his apartment, Owen fumbled with his keys and dropped them on the ground. It was a long time since he had been back here, especially since he was now deployed.

"Sorry about that, a little bit nervous here," he said. As they stepped in, Cristina observed it was a lovely apartment. Owen brought in their suitcases. He showed her the master bedroom. "This will be your room and the other room will be for the kids. I don't have much clothes in the closet, so you can push that aside and put in your stuff."

"Where are you going to sleep tonight?" she asked. "The couch is actually a sofa bed," he said. "I can pull that out and sleep there, tonight. By the way, I am going to the store. There isn't anything in the cupboards, so if you write a list down and I will just head off to the grocery." Cristina did as she was told and wrote down all of the things that she thought that they would need. She handed him the list. "Owen, thank you for everything," she said.

"You're very welcome," he said. He headed off to the store, while Cristina unpacked everyone's clothes. She started to dust, sweep and tidy the place. Then, she heard a knock on the door. That was strange, she thought. Owen should have his keys. She went to open the door. It was an older woman with white hair and familiar blue eyes.

"Hello," Cristina said. "May I help you?"

"Yes," Irene said. "I have come to meet my new daughter-in-law." Cristina blinked.

* * *

**A/N Please leave your thoughts and comments. I do appreciate when you take the time to do so.  
**


	6. Chapter 6 Parental Advice

"Oh, you must be Owen's mom," Cristina said. "Come in. Have a seat." Irene stepped into the apartment and sat on an armchair in the living room. It was rare that she ever visited Owen at his apartment. She had seen it only once before, because most times, Owen visited her in Seattle.

"I would offer you something to drink but unfortunately, we don't have anything," Cristina said. "Owen went to the store to get food."

"That's okay, Cristina," Irene said. "I can wait. I have you at a disadvantage. I know your name but you don't know mine. My name is Irene Hunt."

"Very nice to meet you, Mrs. Hunt," Cristina said, coming forward to shake her mother-in-law's hand. Just then, two little girls came screaming and giggling out of their room.

"Girls, we have company. This is Owen's mom," Cristina told them, sternly. Irene looked at the two little girls and her heart immediately melted. They were so beautiful, with their dark curls and green eyes. It was so easy to fall in love with them.

"Oh my," Irene said. "They are lovely. I know their names are Iris and Laurel but which one is which."

"I am Iris," the older girl said. "This is Laurel." She took her little sister's hand and they both went to Irene to greet her. Irene touched their smooth cheeks and gave each one of them a kiss. She realized that in a way, they were now both her grandbabies. "You two are so pretty. I could just eat you up," Irene said. Laurel climbed on to Irene's lap. "Oh, you are just too precious." Laurel smiled. She could sense that this lady with the white hair and bright blue eyes was a kindred spirit.

"Iris and Laurel are such pretty names. How did you come up with them?" Irene asked.

"My husband did. I mean…my first husband did. When they were born, they weren't wrinkly at all. Josh said they were pretty as flowers and he gave them the names of some of his favorite flowers," Cristina explained. "So that is how they became Iris and Laurel."

"That is a beautiful story," Irene told her. She could tell that the girls were very much loved by their father.

"Owen should be back soon," Cristina said, nervously. She really didn't know what to say to Irene, given how sudden her and Owen's marriage was. Cristina felt that maybe Irene might not approve of their quickie marriage. Irene could sense the nervousness in the young woman's voice.

"Don't be nervous, honey," the older woman said. "I have just come to meet you and the girls. I can see why Owen did what he did." There was no way that Owen was going to let this young woman and her two little girls suffer. That was just how her son was.

Just then, they heard the key in the door turn. "Cristina," Owen said, holding three bags in either hand. "I have a lot of bags in the elevator. Someone is holding it for me, until we get them all out. Can you go get some?" Cristina hurriedly went out to the elevator. Then, he noticed his mother sitting quietly with the little girl on her lap. "Mom, what are you doing here?" He dropped the bags on the kitchen counter and he came across to kiss his mother. "I just have to go help Cristina with the rest of the bags."

"Go ahead, son, we have lots of time to talk," Irene said. She watched as Owen and Cristina went in and out, bringing more and more bags. "Last set," Owen said, kicking the door shut with the back of his foot.

"That's a lot of groceries, Owen," his mom said. "Did you buy out the store?" Owen grinned, "Well, we're starting from scratch here. Not only do we need food, we need household stuff like detergent, toilet paper and dishwashing liquid. I have not been here in ages."

Cristina started packing away all of the groceries. She was grateful for something to do, while Irene was here. Even though Irene said that she had just come to meet them, Cristina could not help that she was also being judged, too. After all, it was Owen's mother and she would want the best for her son. Cristina wondered if she could measure up to her new mother-in-law's expectations. Owen helped her put away all of the groceries.

"So, mom, why did you come down? I told you that I was going to come up to Seattle before I left. I just needed to get Cristina and the girls settled," Owen said, as he put the cereal up in the pantry.

"I just wanted to save you the trip, Owen. I think you should spend as much time with your new family," Irene said. "If I were you, it would be so hard to tear myself away from these beautiful little girls." As if on cue, Laurel snuggled against Irene's chest. She certainly knew how to twist her new granny around her tiny pinky finger. "Aw, isn't she sweet?" Irene said, hugging the child.

"Yes, she is," Owen said. "Iris is also sweet and quite intelligent, too." He nodded at his older step-daughter, sitting on the couch, quietly. She smiled back at him for his compliment. As the older child, she had gotten used to people making a big fuss over the younger Laurel and it was nice for Owen to give her some attention. Owen was right that Iris was very smart. Unlike Laurel, she understood what had gone on in the chapel. Owen and her mommy had married. Her daddy was never coming home. She was sad about that. She loved her daddy very much. Sometimes, at night, she cried thinking about him. Owen was her new daddy, she realized, but she would never forget her real daddy. In fact, she didn't know what to call Owen. She couldn't call him daddy because that was only for her father, Josh. She made a note to ask Owen. She liked Owen a lot. He was always good and kind to her.

"Oh, before I forget, I applied for on-base housing. I realized that I didn't know too much about it. Since it was only just me, off-base housing seemed more appropriate. But as an officer with a family, I can get a four-bedroom house. I think that would be perfect for us, Cristina," Owen said. "Of course, there is a waiting period. I was told it would be about six months."

"That sounds terrific," Cristina said. "More room for all of us."

"Mom, I forgot to ask. How long are you staying?" Owen asked. "Unfortunately, we don't have room here for you to stay."

"That's okay, son. I booked myself into a hotel for tonight. I am leaving tomorrow evening," Irene said. "Just wanted to drop by for a visit."

"So do you want to go out to dinner or stay in? Cristina and I can cook," Owen said. He looked to his wife and she nodded in agreement.

"Sure, we can stay in," Irene said. "I can spend more time with these little beauties."

"Good," Owen said. "I guess we can get started. I bought some steaks. I can grill those. Cristina, you can do the potatoes and vegetables. Plus I also got ice-cream – three different types."

"Ice cream!" Iris yelled happily. She loved ice cream. "Just for you two kiddies," Owen said.

* * *

While Irene played games with her new grandchildren, Cristina and Owen worked assiduously together to create the meal. Occasionally, Irene would take a glance at her son and her daughter-in-law. They were laughing and chatting together as they had known each other for years. Sometimes, she would catch her son looking at his wife, with such affection. There seemed to be a connection between the two of them. That was good, Irene thought.

Dinner was an extremely telling affair. Irene watched as Owen cut up the meat for Laurel and take the time to make sure the little girl ate. He was certainly settling down to the role of father figure, well. After dinner, Owen drove his mother to her hotel, which was not too far away from the apartment.

"I thought you were out of your mind but I understand what you are doing," Irene said. "They are all lovely people. Those two little girls can melt the hardest of hearts. Plus Cristina seems gracious and wonderful."

"Yes, mom, they are wonderful," Owen said. "I am glad that you understand I couldn't let them go to a place where they weren't wanted. They would have been miserable."

"So how long is this arrangement going to be for?" his mother asked. Owen was taken aback by her question. It was true that he and Cristina had never discussed that part.

"I don't know," Owen said. "I guess it will be up to Cristina. She needs to get on her feet, find a job, start earning some money. Till then, it will be okay."

"Owen, I know that you mean well but you can't just put your life on hold for them," his mother said. "What if you meet someone and fall in love? You may want to get out of the marriage." Owen stayed silent. His mother could read him like a book. "Oh, gosh, Owen, you're hoping that she falls in love with you." He gave his mother a sheepish look.

"Aw, Owen," his mother said. "What if she doesn't? I don't want you to get your heart broken. Her husband just died."

"I know, mom," he said, his voice almost a whisper. "But I can hope." She reached over and patted her son's hand. At the hotel, when he dropped her off, Irene said, "Come pick me up, tomorrow. I think you, me, Cristina and the girls should have a nice day out before I fly back to Seattle."

"That would be great, mom," Owen said. "I really would like Cristina to get to know the place, before I leave." Irene watched her son drive away, filled with mixed emotions. She only wanted the best for her son and she hoped that he was not going to get hurt in the end.

* * *

Back at the apartment, Cristina knew she had to call her father to tell him what she had done. She figured that he would not be pleased, at all. She dialed her father's number and inwardly groaned when she heard the sharp voice of her step-mother.

"Oh, hello Beatrice," Cristina said. "Is my father around?"

"Oh, it's you," Beatrice answered. "Where are you calling from? I do not recognize this area code."

"California," Cristina told her. "That's why I need to speak to Dad. So can you get him?"

"California!" Beatrice exclaimed. "I thought you were supposed to get here by the end of the week."

"Um, yes. That is why I need to speak to Dad," Cristina said, getting exasperated. There was never a time that she really ever wanted to speak to Beatrice and she was getting frustrated.

"Hmph!" Beatrice said. Cristina could hear Beatrice shouting to her father that Cristina was calling from California. Her father was breathless when he got to the phone. "What is this I hear? You're in California," Dr. Yang said. "What are you doing there? You're supposed to be moving to South Carolina. Beatrice has already cleaned up the guest rooms for you and the children."

"Yeah, this is why I am calling. I am not coming to South Carolina. I have moved to California," Cristina said.

"What!" her father spluttered on the other end. "California. How could you do that? I know your finances inside and out, Cristina."

"Um, I got married," she said, softly. "What!" her father screamed, again. "Married. To whom? Your loser husband just died." When her dad called Josh a loser, Cristina got very angry. "Josh was not a loser, dad. He just wanted to do something different with his life," she said.

"And look what it got him. He is dead, leaving behind a wife and two little girls," her father said with a derisive note in his voice. "So who is my new son-in-law?"

"His name is Owen Hunt and he is also in the army," Cristina said.

"Oh, good God, no, Cristina. Not another army man. Not another loser," Dr. Yang said in exasperation. He was goading her, she knew.

"No, Owen is not a loser, like Josh was not a loser. Owen is an army surgeon, dad," she said, her voice was tight with emotion. She hated having these conversations with her father. Yes, she loved her father but she couldn't take all of the aspersions on Josh and now, Owen.

"Oh, finally, you found a man with some professional training," her father said. "So tell me where you are."

"I am in an apartment, off-base from Fort Clemson," she said. "I will send you the address via email."

"Okay, but how long have you known this man?" Dr. Yang said. "Just want to know if my grandchildren are safe."

"I haven't known him long but yes, your grandchildren are safe," she said. She really didn't want to get into the fact that she only knew her husband for a couple of days before they got married.

"So will I be meeting my new son in law soon?" her father asked.

"Maybe, not now," Cristina replied. "He is due to go back to Iraq soon." Her father paused. "I really hope you know what you're doing, Cristina. Another serviceman. He could also die just like your first husband. And where would you be?"

"Yes, I know," Cristina said. "I know…." Her voice trailed away. "Anyway, goodbye, Dad."

"Goodbye, Cristina. Give my love to Iris and Laurel," Dr. Yang said, before he hung up the phone. Cristina put down the receiver and put her face in her hands, as she started to cry. Dealing with her father was emotionally exhausting. This was how Owen found her, as he opened the door.

He didn't say anything, as he sat down next to her on the sofa. He took her into his arms as she cried. "It's okay," he said. "Everything is going to be okay." Through her tears, Cristina believed her husband.

* * *

**A/N Please leave your comments and your reviews. Thanks for reading and leaving your thoughts.**


	7. Chapter 7 Family Time

The next day, Owen, Cristina and the girls went to Irene's hotel to pick her up for the day out. Owen was going to take them around the base, mainly to show Cristina where everything was like the PX and the schools. "There is the elementary school, with the pre-school and the day care center next to it." He nodded at Cristina. She would need to know where the pre-school was for Iris and the day care center for Laurel. Iris and Laurel looked out, interestedly at the schools.

He drove a little more. "And there is the PX, where you can do all your shopping. Is there anything you need, Cristina? We can stop if you want."

"Yes, please," she said. "I have to get the girls swimsuits if we are going to the beach, next. They've outgrown the ones they had last summer." Owen parked the car and everyone scrambled out of the car. They headed to the children's clothes area, where Cristina allowed the girls to choose the color of their swimsuit. Laurel chose a pink, polka-dotted swimsuit. Iris, on the other hand, chose a sophisticated black and white swimsuit with a ruffled neckline. Owen was surprised at Iris' choice. He would not have expected a four-year-old to choose that color combination. He totally expected her to choose blue or purple or even pink like her sister. He was getting to learn that Iris was not your typical four-year-old. He paid for their swimsuits and they drove off the base and headed down to the beach. It was a short trip – a 15 minute drive to the beach.

When they got there, Owen loved watching his family's reactions. It was a long time since Cristina had seen the Pacific Ocean. She stood and stared at the waves crashing on to the shore. She remembered when she was a little girl and her mom used to take her to the beach. Those were good times.

The two little girls anxiously stood on either side of her. They were anxious to change into their swimsuits and go in the water. It was the first time they had ever seen the beach. The base where they lived in Georgia was at least three hours drive to the closest beach, so they had never gone to the beach.

"Mommy, change us into our swimsuits," Iris begged. "Okay," Cristina. "There are some changing rooms, so come along." Owen started to follow them but he turned around when he realized that Irene was not coming. "Mom?"

"Oh, good Lord, Owen, do you really think that I am going to wear a swimsuit," Irene said. "Nobody wants to see an old lady in a swimsuit. I am just going to lay out a blanket and wait for you guys on the beach. Just look for me."

"Okay," he said. "See you in a bit." It was easy for Owen to change. He just had to change out of his clothes and into his swim shorts. Given his fair skin, he was careful to put on lots of sunscreen. He came out of the changing room and realized that Cristina and the girls were not out as yet. He scanned the beach and found his mother lying on a blanket under an umbrella.

"Hey," he said, plopping himself down next to her. "You chose a nice spot, here."

"Yes, lovely view of the beach," Irene said. "Where are the girls?"

"Not out as yet," he said. "No, here we are," he heard Cristina's voice. He turned around and saw her with a little girl on either side of her. Her hair was up and she was wearing a strapless red swimsuit. He swallowed hard. This was the first time he saw her with so much exposed skin. Her skin was creamy and unblemished. Irene observed her son, staring hard at his wife. Cristina and the girls came and sat on the blanket next to her husband.

"I put sunscreen on the girls," she said, handing him the bottle of sunscreen. "Could you put it on my shoulders and back?" Owen poured the sunscreen into his hand and started rubbing it gently on her skin, marveling at how smooth and soft her back and shoulders felt. "Done," he said, putting back the cap on the sunscreen.

"We're going to go in the water, now," she turned around. "Come on, I can't handle the two of them on my own." Owen eagerly got up and followed them. As he caught up with them, Iris slipped her tiny hand into his massive hand. He looked down at her and they both smiled at each other. "Come on, Papa."

"Papa?" he asked, his heart melting at the sound of it. She blinked and nodded. "Yes. Papa. Papa Owen. That is what I am going to call you," she said. "I was thinking about it."

"I would be flattered if you called me that," he said. He swung her up and placed her on his shoulders as they headed into the water. The four of them had lots of fun in the water, splashing and laughing. From the shore, Irene watched them. They already looked like a family. It wasn't the most ideal of arrangements, she thought. She dearly hoped that her son would get his wish that his family would truly become his family, not just legally but also in heart and mind.

After an excellent frolic in the water, the family of four came out of the ocean. Irene handed Iris a towel. "Thank you, Nana," the little girl said. Irene was taken aback at being called "nana". It was so unexpected but she really liked it. "You're welcome, Iris," Irene beamed at the child. Owen did not miss that Iris called Irene "nana." He liked it, too.

Cristina dried off Laurel, while Owen dried off Iris. Once they were dried, the children went off with their buckets to play in the sand. "I hope I can get Iris into the school," Cristina said. Owen looked at her, puzzled at her statement "Why not? I am sure the pre-school would accept her."

She turned to him. "I don't mean the pre-school. I meant the elementary school."

"Cristina, she is only four years old. She is not ready for elementary school," Owen said, laughing. Cristina gave him a withering stare. "I meant the elementary school. I know what I am talking about, Owen." He was still confused. As far as he knew, four-year-olds did not go to elementary school.

Cristina continued, "Earlier this year at pre-school, they called me and said that they would like to get Iris tested. I was alarmed because I thought she had a learning disability. They said that wasn't the case because they suspected that Iris was gifted. Of course, I laughed and told them to go ahead and do their testing. Though I should have known that she was gifted when she started reading at the age of two. It seems that Iris' reading and comprehension was at the third grade level. The only thing is that her handwriting is not so good."

Owen's mouth dropped open. He knew that Iris was intelligent but he hadn't suspected this. "I am trying to see if they would accept her into elementary school. They said that it would make no sense for her to go through pre-school, kindergarten and the first and second grade, since she was already past that. They said she would be bored out of her mind."

"No wonder," Owen said. "Talking to Iris is like talking to a teenager. She is so smart. But personally, I don't think it is a good idea to send her to third grade. Those children would eat her alive. She is four-years-old and in a class with eight and nine year olds. That just sets it up for bullying."

"Well, ideally, they suggested that she attend a school for gifted children but I can't afford that," Cristina said. "Besides, she is going to be five in January. Would that help?" Owen shook his head. "We are going to get her into a school for the gifted," he said. There was no way that he was going to allow Iris to be bullied. He gazed over at his step-daughter, holding hands with her baby sister. He was definitely going to do right by her.

* * *

Later that day, Owen dropped his mother off at the airport. Cristina and the children were at home, since the little girls were tired and needed to take a nap. As he walked his mother to the security line, she gave him a hug. "I know you're going back to the desert. As always, stay safe. I will be praying for you."

"Thanks, mom," he said. "It's going to be hard to say goodbye to Cristina and the girls."

"Yes, I know, son," Irene said. "Well, you have a lot to live for now. Just come back to them. You know what. I think she will love you."

"I can always rely on you, mom, for that extra vote of confidence," he said, kissing Irene on the cheek.

* * *

The next day, Owen made it his mission to ensure that Iris got into a school for the gifted. There was no way that he was going to allow her to languish in pre-school or get bullied in elementary school. She needed to be with teachers and other students, who understood her. He found a school for gifted children about 30 minutes away. He cajoled the administrator to give Iris an interview and a test, saying that he was an army surgeon and he was going back to Iraq. Surely, the fact that he was serving in the military would serve him in good stead. It did, as the administrator relented and told them to come in the next day. He knew his step-daughter would ace that test. It was he, who took her to her interview and test the next day, as Cristina stayed home with Laurel.

From a separate room with a window, he was allowed to watch Iris be interviewed and take the test. He was so proud of her, as she was articulate and clear in her answers. The interviewer looked duly impressed. Then, she was tested by another instructor. After the test, Iris happily came to him, saying it was so much fun. He picked her up and gave her a hug, saying that he was so proud of her. They were then led into their office and were told that Iris tested at a level that was far advanced what a four year old could do. They were willing to accept her for the fall term. She would be one of their youngest students. He was assured that due care and supervision would be given to her because of her age. He listened intently to what they were going to offer Iris. He had to make sure that he was doing the right thing for his little girl.

On their way home, Owen stopped at the bookstore and allowed Iris to choose five books to read. She eschewed all of the books recommended for children her age and took books that were recommended for children four or five years older than her. When they paid for the books, the customer service representative asked Owen if he was buying books for an older child.

"No," Iris declared. "They're for me." The sales representative looked at the tiny girl. "Well, you must be a genius," the woman said to her. "Just for that, here is a lollipop." Iris looked at Owen, first before she accepted the lollipop. Owen nodded, so she took the lollipop from the woman. Owen took the bag of books in one hand and Iris' small hand into his other hand. Owen could not wait to get home to tell Cristina the news.

* * *

The next two days, he spent it helping Iris improve her handwriting. Though her brain was academically advanced, her coordination with the pencil was still that of a four-year-old. She got frustrated that her letters and her numbers were not looking perfect. Owen comforted her and told her all she needed was practice. "I wish you were staying here to help me," she said, softly.

"I wish that, too, Iris but I have to go back to Iraq," he said. "Tomorrow, you and Laurel and Mommy are going to see me off." When he said that, the little girl started to cry. He picked her up to console her. "I don't want you to die," she sobbed. "My daddy died."

"Oh, honey," he said. "I will do my very best not to die. I want to come home to you, Laurel and your Mommy. I really want to do that." He walked her around the living room, with her in his arms, until she calmed down. Cristina stood at the doorway of her bedroom and watched them. He really was an amazing man, she thought.

* * *

The next day, the three of them went to the airfield where Owen was to pick up his transport. There were lots of other soldiers, heading to Iraq, too. All around them, they were hugging, kissing and crying. Owen bent down to say goodbye to the girls. He hugged and kissed them. Iris clung to him. "You be a good girl, Iris. We will talk all of the time on the computer." He gave her a tight hug.

He got up and his whole face softened as he stared into Cristina's warm, chocolate brown eyes. "So, I guess this is goodbye."

"Yes," she said. "Thank you, Owen, for everything that you've done for the children and me. I don't think any other man would have done this. You are a really good man."

"I am glad that let me to do this for you," he said. "So think nothing of it. Well, goodbye, take care of yourself and the girls. I will skype you guys and you can keep me posted on how everything is going." He was surprised at what she did next. She reached up, put her arms around the neck and caught his lips with her own. He immediately responded and kissed her back. Their tongues found each other's and their kiss deepened. The two girls stared up at them in amazement.

When they finally broke the kiss, Owen could feel the goose bumps, again. "I didn't expect that," he said. And he kissed her again.

* * *

**A/N Please leave your reviews and comments. I really would appreciate it. Thank you.  
**


	8. Chapter 8 Apart

Cristina drove the girls back home to the apartment. She was thinking about that kiss she gave Owen. She wasn't quite sure why she did it. She had kissed him before, when they got married. That one was by necessity. This one, she wasn't quite sure.

She didn't know whether she did it out of gratitude for all he had done for them. Maybe it was because she knew he was going off to the combat zone and that kiss was kind of a good luck and to let him that someone cared.

Maybe it was because she found him attractive. She blushed at the thought. She hadn't wanted to admit how much she found him to be attractive.

She chided herself. How could she be feeling this way? Josh just died. Josh had been the love of her life for the past eight years. Josh, whom she had known since they were both 16 years old. Josh, the father of her children. She still loved Josh. She hadn't forgotten him. He would always own a major part of her heart. Yet, she could not deny that she liked Owen. A lot.

When they got home, she began to unpack some of her belongings that had been shipped to the apartment. She dug into the boxes until she found Josh's picture. He looked very handsome in his uniform. She dusted it and then put it up on the fireplace. She then put up a picture of Iris and Laurel, both dressed in red and white from last Christmas. Then, she put up a new picture. It was a picture of Owen and herself. It was the picture of their wedding day – the one that Betty Lou, the chaplain's wife had taken. Owen had received the pictures in his email and she had asked that he print an 8 x 10 so she could frame it. She stepped back and examined the mantel. Everybody had their rightful place, there. She was satisfied.

She was not the only one who was looking at their wedding picture. Owen, too, was examining it. While on the plane, he pulled out his wallet and flipped it open to look at the picture. He had printed wallet sized pictures of him and Cristina and the one of all four of them on the wedding day. Betty Lou was a good photographer, he had to admit. She obviously had a lot of practice. The guy next to him looked across, curiously and asked, "Your family?"

Owen nodded, "My wife and kids." The guy asked, "Can I see?" Owen handed over the picture to the man. "Gorgeous family," the man said, giving him back the picture. "You're a lucky man." Owen tucked the picture back into his wallet and shoved it back into his pants pocket. "I am that, indeed. Very lucky."

* * *

Without Owen, Cristina had to do everything for the family. Not that it was a hardship, she was used to it. After all, she had been a soldier's wife for the last four years. Her first order of business was to get a job. Owen was very kind to her but she didn't want to be a burden to him. She wanted to pull her own weight, too, and provide some income, too, especially since she was the one with the little children. She had seen there was an opening for an assistant guidance counselor at the middle school. She was going to apply for that. She knew she didn't have much experience, just the practical training she had when she was in school. But she was enthusiastic and willing to learn. To her surprise, she got the job. It seemed that the current guidance counselor was going to retire, soon and they wanted to groom someone to take her place. Cristina had the right qualifications and a terrific attitude, that she was hired two days later after she interviewed for the job.

When the term started, it was rather hectic. She had to drop off Iris at her school, then drive back to the base, drop off Laurel in the day care and then, start her job at the middle school. It was a full day but she didn't mind. She liked to be fully occupied, so she wouldn't think about her husband in Iraq. She didn't want to think that he would meet the same fate of her first husband. But she knew the circumstances were different. Josh had been actively fighting in the combat zone, while Owen was in the relatively safer confines of the combat hospital.

He called them every week, not every day but at least twice a week. It was the highlight of Owen's week when he got to talk to his family. Since there was a time difference of 10 hours, they had to schedule their webcam calls, usually at 8 p.m. at night, when it was 6 a.m. the next day in Iraq. He loved hearing about their lives back home. Iris told him about all of the new things that she was learning at school. He was pleased that she was settling down, nicely there. She told him that her handwriting was getting a lot better. Her teacher had told her so.

Cristina told him about her new job at the school. She said that she was enjoying it a lot. Working with the kids was very fulfilling, she told him. She said that current guidance counselor was retiring at the end of the school year, so she was going to step into that job, in the next academic year. Owen congratulated her and said he was very happy for her.

Laurel didn't talk much. She just smiled, mostly and spoke about new toys at the daycare center and her friends, Molly and Stewart. Sometimes, she fell asleep, while sitting in Cristina's lap.

Whenever they had to end their conversation, everyone felt happy that they got to speak and see each other but they were sad because they had to end it.

"Good night," he said. "Good night," Cristina would say. "Good night," Iris would say. "I love you, Papa Owen."

The first time she said it, Owen was almost overcome with emotion. "I love you, too, Iris," he said. "Very much." It was true that he did love her. She was such an engaging child. In fact, he also loved Laurel but in reality, he was closer to Iris.

The first time Cristina heard Iris tell Owen that she loved him, she realized how attached her daughter had become to her step-father. Iris was a little girl, who wore her heart on her sleeve. Owen had shown Iris such kindness, it was easy for her daughter to love him. She knew that Iris also missed her father very much because she used to see the little girl, staring at her father's picture on the fireplace. She knew Iris used to cry at night for her father but the tears had lessened since Owen had come into their lives. For that, she was glad because it hurt her so much when she heard Iris grieving for her father. Cristina, like her daughter, also cried for Josh, when she thought about him. But for her, too, the tears had become less frequent.

She was a little worried about Iris' attachment to Owen. She and Owen had never discussed how long their arrangement would last. She did not want her child's heart to be broken, if and when the marriage ended. "If," she thought. "That was a big if." She wondered if she and Owen could make it last. She wondered if they could fall in love with each other. But then again, she didn't really have Owen's thoughts on the matter. Maybe he thought it would be a limited arrangement for a while. It made her feel a little uneasy. She didn't want the rug pulled out from under her and the kids. Especially since she was getting used to him as her husband and them being a family.

At the combat hospital, when Owen first returned, he surprised everyone by announcing that he was a married man and he had a family. Everyone was shocked. The last they had heard was that he had broken up with his fiancée. It was rather quick that he had found someone else and had gotten married. Even more so, when they found out that his new bride had children from a previous marriage. Owen Hunt had gone for a two week break and had come back a husband and a father. Everyone offered their congratulations. It was clear to them that Owen seemed quite happy, a much happier man than when he had left. He had proudly shown his colleagues the picture of his family. Everyone said he was a lucky guy.

Owen's days were still filled with incoming casualties of the war. Before Cristina and the girls, it used to get depressing at times, when all of these young soldiers would die, despite his best efforts. It still bothered him but not as much as before. Thinking about his wife and family always made it all seem better. The only thing was that he missed them a lot and could not wait for the next time, he was given leave to go back to them.

* * *

The months passed and even though they were thousands of miles apart, the family became closer. Christmas was hard for all of them. When the kids got up on Christmas morning, Owen called to see them open their presents. He had made sure that his mother had sent presents to all of them, on behalf of himself. He told her what to buy and then, she shipped the presents to them. For Laurel, he had bought a large teddy bear that was bigger than the two year old herself. For Iris, he knew that she would want something that was challenging, so he bought her puzzle games. For Cristina, he bought her an emerald bracelet, since May was her birth month.

Cristina told him that the army gave them a really awesome Christmas present as they were assigned a house on the base, starting in January. "A four-bedroom house," she declared. "Everyone can have their own room. Owen had to agree that it was a wonderful present.

By the time, it was Iris' fifth birthday in January, they had already moved into the house. Other than giving Owen a tour of the house via the webcam, Cristina made sure that he could also see when Iris blew out the candles on her cake. They cut the cake and put aside a ceremonial slice for him. "Thank you," he said. He just loved that he was not missing out on any major family events. It was the same for Laurel's third birthday in March. Cristina's birthday was in May. She was turning 25. When he called, it was her alone, who answered.

"Happy birthday, Cristina," he said. "Where are my two girls?"

"Oh, they're tired. They both went to bed, so it is just me tonight. We went to an amusement park today ostensibly to celebrate my birthday. But as it turned out, they had a better time than me. One of the teachers at school came with me to help out," she said. "I am tired, too but I knew you were going to call."

"So I see you don't have any cake," he said. "Didn't you want any?"

"No, I think the cake is important when it is the kids' birthday. I had a cupcake with a candle at the park," she said. "That was enough."

"Did you get my present?" he asked. She grinned. "Yes, your mom sent it," she said. "I haven't opened it as yet. I was waiting until you called."

"Okay, then, open it," he said. She pulled out the small box. She opened it. It was a sparkling diamond solitaire ring.

"What's this?" she said, softly. "It's beautiful."

"Well, you never got an engagement ring. So I chose a ring and asked Mom to send it to you. You may have to get it resized in case it doesn't fit," he said. "Put it on. Let me see."

She slipped on the ring next to the plain gold wedding ring that she wore. Both she and Owen had matching plain gold wedding rings. She put up her hand to show him. "Yes, it is beautiful," he said. "Just as beautiful as the person wearing it." She blushed.

"Thank you," she said. "It's a little big but I will carry it to the jewelers to have it re-sized."

"I have some great news, too. Clear your calendars in June because your husband will be home on leave," he said, excitedly.

"What? You're coming home," she said, happily. "The girls will be so pleased, especially Iris." It would a be a year since they last saw each other in the flesh.

"What about you? Are you going to be happy to see me?" he asked.

"Yes, I am. Very happy for you to come home," she said. "More than anything."

"Yes, me too," he said, as he touched the screen where her face was with his finger. "More than anything."

* * *

**A/N Please leave your thoughts and your reviews. I do appreciate it very much.**


	9. Chapter 9 Home at Last

**A/N: Some mature content.**

* * *

Owen could not contain his excitement as he got off that plane. There were a lot of families there, waiting for their loved one. He was searching for his own family. He didn't see them at first but he heard their voices. Iris' voice was loud and clear. "Papa!" she yelled. "Papa Owen." He also heard Laurel's voice, too, calling him, "Papa." It was evident that Iris had told her younger sister what to call him. He scanned the crowd of people and saw them. Iris and Laurel ran to him and he scooped both of them up in his arms, hugging them tightly and kissing them. "My babies, you are both getting so big," he said. As he put them down, he saw his wife and he could not contain himself, as his face broke out into this huge grin.

"Cristina," he said. He put out his arms and she ran into them. Their bodies were so close together that there was no space in between them. He pulled back to look at her face and he covered her mouth with his own, loving the taste of her. They clung to each other for a bit before he finally said, "Let's go home."

He held hands with his wife, while the children walked on their sides. "You should see the house," Cristina said. "I fixed it up and I made dinner for all of us."

"Great, I am famished," he said. "It is a long plane ride to get here." They got into their car and drove to the house. Owen looked at the house. It was white with a green roof. There was a wreath on the front door and a welcome mat on the porch. Cristina had lined the walkway with flower pots, so it gave the place a pretty, summery look.

"Really pretty, Cristina," Owen said. "I really do love it. So this is our home." Cristina opened the door and the girls rushed inside the house, each of them holding on to his hands and pulling him inside the house. Cristina had made the place so homey and comfortable for their family. "You did a wonderful job with our home, Cristina," he said. He noticed, immediately, the pictures she had put up on the fireplace. There was their wedding picture, a picture of the two girls, a picture of their whole family and finally, a picture of Josh. Owen didn't resent the picture of Josh there because he knew it was important for Laurel and Iris to remember their daddy. He loved that she put up their wedding picture.

"Why don't the girls show you around the house and I will put the food on the table?" Cristina said. The girls started with the bedrooms. The first one, Iris said, was the guest room. Owen looked at it and wondered if he was going to sleep there. He and Cristina had not discussed sleeping accommodations. They were married nearly a year and they had never consummated the marriage. It was a nice enough room but it was not where he wanted to spend his nights.

Then, they showed him Laurel's room. It was exactly what he would have expected of a three year old girl's room. There was lots of pink and purple with dolls and teddy bears around. He saw the large teddy bear he had bought for her. Then, it was Iris' room, a stark difference from Laurel, with books everywhere. Her room was green and white. She even had her own easel-sized whiteboard. He could tell from the writing on the whiteboard that her handwriting had greatly improved. "Your handwriting has gotten so much better, Iris," he said, as he ruffled his step-daughter's head. She smiled, proudly. Then, they went into the master bedroom.

"This is Mommy's bedroom," Laurel said. Now this was the room that Owen hoped he was staying in. Cristina had bought a four-poster metal bed. He thought it looked very romantic in there. There were fresh flowers and scented candles on the bedside tables. Yes, definitely, he thought, this is my room. He hoped his wife was amenable to the suggestion. His thoughts were interrupted when he heard her voice calling them for dinner.

Cristina and Owen sat opposite each other and while they ate and listened to the children chatter, they just stared at each other with goofy smiles on their faces. They were just happy to be together. After dinner, Cristina took the children to their bathroom, where she supervised the brushing of their teeth. After that, Owen took Iris to her bedroom, where he allowed her to choose a book for him to read to her. She chose a book and as he read, he noticed Iris mouthing the words as he read. "Hey," he said. "Do you know this book from memory?"

"Yes," she said, grinning. "I have read it before and I remembered it." It occurred to him, at that moment, that Iris probably had a photographic memory. No wonder she was so smart in school. He finished the book and he gave her a kiss on the forehead. "Good night, sweet girl," he said.

"Good night, Papa Owen," she said. Owen left the room and sat on the sofa, waiting for Cristina to come out of Laurel's room.

"Fast asleep," she said, as she quietly closed Laurel's door. "Time for bed, now." She gave him a seductive smile.

"About that," he asked, willing himself not to get too excited by that smile. "The last time I was home, I was sleeping on the couch. Where am I sleeping tonight? I mean I know where I want to be but you have to tell me."

She put out her hand and he couldn't get there fast enough to take her hand into his and together, they walked to their bedroom. "Why don't we take a shower? It has been a long day," she suggested. She started stripping off her clothes, right in front of him. As he watched her get naked, he realized that the first time he had ever seen her in the nude. As she went to the bathroom, she looked around behind her and said, "Come on." He almost tore off his uniform, as he followed her into the shower. Through the steam of the warm shower, they both stared at each other, drinking each other in. They both really liked what they saw.

She took the body wash, gave him some and took some into her hand, as they allowed themselves to explore each other. As their hands slipped over the other's body, he pulled her in close and kissed her, first softly and then passionately. He could feel himself, hardening and he desperately wanted to know what it felt like to be inside of her. "I think we are clean enough," he whispered into her ear. She laughed, as they washed off the body wash. They toweled each other off and then, slipped into fluffy robes. Owen had never owned a fluffy robe like this before. He chuckled because it was probably the benefit of having a wife, who would buy such things. They walked back into the bedroom, where Owen whipped off his fluffy robe and got under the covers. Cristina lit the scented candles and switched off the lights. The glow from the candlelight illuminated her lovely face, as she came to him, dropping off her robe, as she did. She climbed under the covers and took his face into her hands and kissed him. He quickly flipped her over on her back, as they deepened her kiss. He had dreamed of this, all those lonely nights in Iraq. He was so hungry for her. This night was a year in the making, as their bodies thrashed underneath the covers. He pushed open her legs and she arched her body upwards, signaling that she was ready for him. He entered in one strong thrust, both gasping as his entire shaft was inside of her. As he made love to his wife, it was the closest he ever felt the two of them was. He loved this woman. They hadn't fallen in love in the traditional sense, through dating and courting and then, getting married. They had gotten married first and then, fallen in love. And even so, they fell in love, thousands of miles apart. He wanted her to come first, before he would release himself inside of her. With the physical act ended, he lay on top of her, his head against her chest, as she ran her fingers through his hair.

"I love you," he said, as he listened to the beating of her heart. "I know," she said. "Because I feel it, too."

"You love me?" he asked.

"Yes, I love you so much, Owen Hunt," she answered. "I never thought I would say that again to another man. I always thought that Josh was my one and only. But you've taught me that I can love again." He reached up and kissed her, as they started to make love again.

* * *

Owen slept, peacefully, that night. The first night he had done so in many months. He was home in his own bed, so of course, he slept like a baby. He was so deep in sleep that he didn't even notice, when Cristina got out of the bed and left the house. He was only awakened by the sound of the doorbell. He reluctantly opened his eyes and reached out for his wife. She wasn't there and all he could feel was a piece of paper on her pillow. He rubbed his eyes and read it, "Going for an errand. Will be back with breakfast." Where in the world was Cristina going at this hour of the morning. The person at the door seemed persistent, so he found his pajama pants and put it on. But before he got out of the bedroom, he heard Iris' clear voice.

"Hi, Mr. Madison," she said. Mr Madison? Who the heck was Mr. Madison? He hurried out of the bedroom to find Iris at the front door, speaking to a bespectacled, brown-haired man in his thirties. "Is your mommy home, Iris?" the man asked.

"I don't think so," Iris answered. "I heard the car start this morning. But my papa is home." The man looked to be a in a state of shock, when she said "papa."

"Your papa?" he repeated.

"Yes," Owen answered. "Me. I am her papa." The man looked like he had seen a ghost, staring at Owen, who was shirtless and barefoot, wearing only a pajama pants. Mr. Madison caught himself and changed his expression.

"Oh, I didn't know Cristina's husband had come home," he said.

"Well, I have," Owen said, emphatically. "I am home for 30 days." Who was this guy, he thought. He came to the door and stood next to Iris.

"I am Paul Madison, a teacher at the middle school," the bespectacled man, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "Owen Hunt. Major Owen Hunt," Owen replied, offering the man his hand to shake. The man gingerly shook Owen's hand.

"Well, I was just passing by and brought a cup of coffee for Cristina. It is the one she likes," Madison said, handing over the Starbucks coffee cup. Owen took it from him. He really just wanted to throw it back in the man's face but he restrained himself. Instead, he said, "Thank you."

"I better get going, now. Could you tell Cristina I will be by at 3.30 p.m. to pick her and the girls up," he added. "Goodbye, Major." Owen wondered why this man would be back at 3.30 to pick up his family. He did not like the sound of that.

"Goodbye, Mr. Madison," Owen said, firmly. He closed the door and looked down at Iris. "Iris, you should not be opening the doors. You are only five years old. I know we live on the base but you should practice some sort of caution. We never know what or whom could be on the other side of the door."

"Okay, Papa," she said, softly. "You're not mad?" He smiled. Iris was so smart. It was sometimes hard to remember that emotionally, she was still very much a little girl.

"No," he said. "I just want you and your sister to be safe. It would kill me if anything happened to the two of you or your mother. Iris, who is Mr. Madison?"

"He is a teacher at the school where Mommy works," Iris said. "Sometimes, he brings coffee for Mommy."

"Hmm," Owen said. "I think I am going to have a chat with your mother. Okay, let's get your little sister up for the day."

"Yay," Iris said, as she ran into Laurel's room. His mind was a flux of emotions, as he pondered exactly what type of relationship his wife had with her co-worker.

* * *

**A/N Please leave your thoughts and comments. I do appreciate when you do so.**


	10. Chapter 10 Mr Madison

Owen and his step-daughters were sitting at the table, waiting for Cristina to come back home with their promised breakfast. He had made cocoa for the girls and he had done a fresh jug of coffee. They all looked up when they heard the keys in the front door.

"Hey, all my babies are up," Cristina said. She had a large brown bag in her hand. Owen assumed that was the breakfast she had promised.

"Yes, we are," Owen said. "I have fresh coffee on. Do you want a cup?"

"Yeah, but pour out two because there is someone else here besides me," Cristina said. "Come on in," she called out. Just then, a woman with a familiar white head of hair stepped in.

"Mom!" Owen yelled, getting up and walked swiftly to the door. The two little girls got up and ran to the door, too. "Nana, Nana," they shrieked. Irene gave her son a hug and a kiss before bending down to take the two little girls into her arms. "My precious babies," she said, giving each girl a big hug.

"So this was your errand you had to run so early in the morning?" Owen asked his wife. "Yup," she said, nodding. "I went to the airport to pick her up. We both wanted it to be a surprise. Why don't we all sit down and have breakfast?" Irene joined Owen and the children at the table, while Cristina stood at the kitchen counter, taking out the stuff that she had bought. It was country style biscuits with ham and cheese. She noticed the Starbucks coffee cup on the counter.

"Owen, did you go to Starbucks this morning?" she asked, picking up the cup. He shook his head. "No, a friend of yours dropped off that, this morning. A Mr. Madison. He told me his name was Paul," Owen said. He carefully studied his wife's reaction to his mention of Mr. Madison. She showed no reaction to it, which made Owen feel a little relieved but not totally so.

"Oh, Paul. That was nice of him but it is cold, now, so I guess I will just have to toss it," she said, as she poured out the cold coffee into the sink. "So here we go." She placed a plate with a warm biscuit on it in front of everyone. She sat down and gratefully, sipped her coffee.

"Well, Paul said to remind you that he was coming to pick you and the girls up at 3.30," Owen said. He certainly wanted to know why this man needed to take out his family.

"Oh, shoot. I forgot about it. The tea party for army spouses and children. Paul had bought tickets for the children and me, so we could attend it with him and his daughter," Cristina said. "That reminds me I have to find some pretty dresses for the girls to wear."

"Can I come?" Owen asked. Cristina looked doubtful. "It is only for army spouses and children. I think it is supposed to be some sort of community bonding thing. I think you need a ticket to attend and the tickets were all sold out. Sorry." Then she brightened up. "It will only be for two hours and we will be home by six. Then, we can have some family time together."

"Oh," Owen said. "So Paul is an army spouse?"

"Yes, his wife is deployed in Iraq. She is a truck driver, there. He is a teacher at the middle school, teaching English and History," Cristina replied. "He has a seven year old daughter named Tamara. Tamara and Iris are friends." Iris nodded to confirm that piece of information. Irene listened to the conversation without butting in. She could tell from the way Owen was acting that he was a little uneasy about this Mr. Madison.

"Oh," Owen said, again. He was definitely not pleased. As a man, he could tell when another male is encroaching into his territory. His wife seemed blissfully unaware of this, he noted. Maybe, it was just as well that she wasn't aware. He would have to fix this by himself.

* * *

Later that day, Paul Madison showed up at 3.30 to pick up Cristina and the girls. Owen noted that all three of his girls looked very pretty. Cristina was in a periwinkle blue dress, Iris was in a cranberry colored dress while Laurel wore a powder pink outfit. Owen opened the door for Paul, who was accompanied by a blonde girl in a white dress.

"Hello," Owen said, rather coolly. "Hello, Major Hunt," Paul replied. "This is my daughter, Tamara." The little girl smiled, shyly at Owen. "Nice to meet you, Tamara. I think the girls are ready," Owen said.

"Yes, we are," Cristina said from inside the house. "Oh my, Tamara, you look so pretty." Tamara blushed at the compliment. "As do Iris and Laurel," Paul said. "You too, Cristina."

"Thank you, Paul," she said. "I guess we should get going." She kissed Owen on the lips and then took her daughters' hands as they headed out of the house. As the door closed, Owen went to the window to watch them get into the car. Though he knew that nothing was going on, it didn't make him feel any better.

Irene watched him and tried to reassure him. "She is not doing anything wrong, Owen," Irene said. "It is just a tea party for two hours."

"I know that, Mom," Owen said. "I trust her, I really do. But that guy? I get uneasy about him. I just know he wants to put the moves on her. I miss Cristina more than anything when I am across there. If it is hard on me, then it is just as hard on her. Who knows there could be a time when she feels vulnerable and lonely and there is good ole Paul, just hanging around, waiting to go in for the kill?" Irene patted him on the back.

"Do what you need to do. Whatever you think it is best for your family, but please nothing illegal or felonious. I cannot bear to see you locked up," she said with a chuckle in her voice. Owen laughed. He knew his mother was joking. It certainly lightened the air around the house.

"No, mom, I am not going to inflict any violent action on the man. I am just going to have a meaningful conversation with him," Owen said. "That is all."

* * *

Later that evening, Cristina and the girls came home after the tea party. "Hey," she said, as she opened the front door. "Hey," he replied. "We got something for you," Laurel said, holding up a goodie bag.

"For me? I am so honored," he said. The two little girls came forward and handed him their goodie bags. "They were insistent that they bring you home something from the tea party," Cristina said. Owen opened the bags – there was lots of cake, sandwiches and pastries in each bag.

"Thank you so much," he said, kissing the girls on their foreheads. "Papa loves you and thanks you for your thoughtfulness."

"I think I am going to get these girls to bed. They are tired. They were running around for most of the tea party," Cristina said. She disappeared with the girls into their rooms. Owen made himself a cup of tea and started feasting on the baked goods that the girls had brought for him. He had completely eaten one bag when he decided to save the second bag for Irene, who was taking a nap. He placed it in the refrigerator, smiling as he did so as he thought about how wonderful his daughters were.

Cristina emerged from Laurel's room. "I think I am going to turn in, too. That tea party was more tiring than I thought it would be. I volunteered to serve tea and then I spent the rest of the time, chasing my kids and other people's kids. I am beat."

"Okay, I will join you," he said and he followed her to their bedroom.

* * *

As they lay on their bed, Owen reached over and started kissing his wife. "Really, now?" she said. "I am tired. Maybe later, when I get a little bit of sleep. I will wake you up in the middle of the night."

"Okay, we can just snuggle and talk," he said. "I missed you." She turned and rested her head on his chest.

"Can I ask you about Paul?" Owen asked. "Sure, what do you want to know?" she answered.

"How well do you know Paul?" he asked.

"I met him at school, my first day there. He gave me a tour of the school and then we had lunch and he told me that his wife was deployed abroad and that he had a little girl in first grade at the elementary school. So we knew each other mainly through having lunch together. He has been really good to us. Kind of helps us out too, when I needed a handyman, he volunteered to help. He fixed some loose cupboards for us and helped me with the garden and fixed some loose tiles on the roof," she said.

"Is that all?" Owen asked. "I see that he brings you coffee."

"Yeah, well, he goes to Starbucks, often and he usually brings back a vanilla latte for me because he knows I like that one," she said. "Paul is so cool. He even helped me with the kids on my birthday when we went to the amusement park. He even brought Tamara along."

Owen's hairs on his arms stood on end. He remembered when Cristina had told him that a teacher had helped her with the kids at the amusement park. He had just assumed that it was a female. How wrong he was. While he was in Iraq, it was Paul who was enjoying the company of his wife on her birthday.

"Why are you asking so many questions, Owen?" Cristina said, as she lifted up her head and looked at him. "Don't tell me you're jealous." She chuckled.

"Um, no," Owen said. "Of course not." He wasn't jealous as much as he was on guard. Alright, he thought, he was jealous, too.

"Good," she replied. "I was thinking that we could have a barbecue and invite some of the neighbors and some of the teachers at school. It will be a good time to do so, since your mom is here. Maybe, you and Paul can chat, get to know each other better."

"You know, I think I would like that very much, Cristina. Such a great idea," Owen said. He wrapped his arms around her and she fell asleep. But Owen did not. He had so many things to think about.

* * *

The barbecue was going to be held in their backyard. Owen was in charge of the barbecue pit, a job he did not mind to do. He met a lot of people that day, so it became a blur of faces after a while. He met the neighbors, the teachers and all of their kids. He noted that Paul and Tamara had indeed made it to the barbecue. After everyone had eaten and people were just mingling, Owen thought it was an opportune time to speak to Paul. He sidled up next to the man.

"So, hello Paul, how are you today? Are you having a good time?" Owen said, with a steely smile.

"Uh, yes," Paul said, nervously. There was indeed something about Major Hunt that made him uneasy.

"So, Paul, I know you have been spending a lot of time with my wife," Owen said. He noted the change in Paul's face.

"I have to assure you that nothing is going on," Paul stammered out.

"Oh, I know, nothing is going on," Owen said. "And it is my wish to keep it that way. Don't tell me that you haven't been putting the moves on my wife."

"Who, me? No," Paul protested. Owen shook his head. "Don't you think a man knows when another man is trying to move in? Your wife is deployed, protecting our country and here you are, trying to put the moves on Cristina. I can see what you are doing. You are weaseling your way into her life, trying to make yourself indispensable to her, with helping with the cupboards, the garden and the roof and taking the kids to the amusement park. Well, I am on to you."

Paul turned pale, an indication that everything that Owen said was true. "Ah, I can see that we can come to an understanding now that you know that I know," Owen said. "Oh, I see Cristina is looking in our direction. Please smile." Paul plastered on a fake smile. Cristina waved and smiled at the both of them. Owen smiled and waved back.

"So just back off. Your daughter is friends with my daughter and I think they should not suffer because of this," Owen said. "Otherwise, you back off. No more showing up at my house with any more coffees early in the morning. If my wife needs something fixed, recommend a good handyman. I can afford to pay for it. Stop trying to be a husband to my wife, while I am gone. Understand?"

Paul nodded. "Good to see you again, Paul," Owen said. He didn't look back as he walked off and headed straight to his wife. "Good barbecue, Cristina," he said, as he pulled her into his arms. "Yes," she said. "I think everyone is having a great time. Did you and Paul have a good talk?"

"Yes," Owen said. "We had a nice little chat. It looks like he is leaving." Paul had Tamara with him and he waved from across the backyard to indicate that he was leaving.

"Hmm, I thought he would have stayed longer," Cristina said. "He is usually one of those people, who is always among the last to leave."

"Well, maybe he realized that there was somewhere he needed to be," Owen said, taking a swig from his bottle of beer. He had a a slight smile on his face.

* * *

**A/N Please leave your thoughts and comments. Thanks for the reviews.**


	11. Chapter 11 Harold and Beatrice

On the way back from the airport after dropping off Irene, Cristina thought it was the perfect time to broach the touchy topic. "Owen, I heard from my dad and he said he would like us all to visit South Carolina so he can meet you and also see the girls," she said. Owen looked across at his wife. He knew she didn't really like going to South Carolina because of her step-mother, so for her to make this suggestion, it had to be a big deal.

"Are you sure?" he asked. She nodded. "Yes, my dad is ill and he wants to see the kids," she said. "I thought that since you were home, we could make a trip across the country to see them. Also, Josh's parents haven't seen the girls in a year, not since the funeral. I mean they have seen them over Skype but they want to see them in person, too."

At the mention of Josh's parents, Owen felt a little wary. He knew that his and Cristina's marriage so soon after Josh's death was probably very odd to them. He wasn't even sure what he could say to them. Meeting Cristina's father was something he could not put off, any longer. After all, he and Cristina were now married about a year and he had never met the man. They were now family and it was appropriate to meet Dr Yang and his wife. "Okay," he said. "How long do you want to go for?"

"Well, I was thinking about four or five days, depending on how it goes," Cristina said. "My stepmother is not the most welcoming person, so it all depends on how much we can tolerate each other." Owen could tell that this was not going to be a lovey-dovey family reunion.

"When do we leave?" he asked. "I was thinking two days from now," Cristina said. "Is that okay?"

"Yes," he said. He had hoped that his vacation at home would be peaceful and non-confrontational. Possibly, it was not going to be so.

* * *

Two days later, the Hunt family found themselves in South Carolina. Since Cristina's dad was ill, they decided to just take a taxi to the Yang home. When they pulled up in front of the plantation estate, Owen was more than a little shocked. "You never said that you lived in a plantation house," Owen said. "It is just gorgeous."

"Yes, it is," Cristina said. "But it is a fake plantation house. It is just built in the style of a plantation house. It was built in the 1950s." Owen took the luggage out of the trunk, while Cristina helped the two girls out of the back seat of the taxi. He paid the driver, who left soon after. Cristina let out a breath before she said, "Well, here goes nothing." She took her daughters' hand into her own and went straight to the front door and rang the door bell.

An older woman opened the door, "Cristina!" she shrieked. "Bertha," Cristina shrieked back. The two of them hugged. "And these are your babies," Bertha said. "I have seen pictures of them. They are so pretty, Cristina. It has been too long, Cristina."

"Thank you," Cristina said. "This is Iris and this is Laurel. This is my husband, Major Owen Hunt." Owen put out his hand for Bertha to shake. "Oh, come now," she said to Owen. "You are a member of the family." Bertha gave Owen a hug.

"Bertha has been our housekeeper since we moved to South Carolina when I was sixteen," Cristina said. "I am 25 now. So that means Bertha has been working with our family for about nine years."

"The best years were when Cristina was here before she got married to Josh," Bertha said. "So come on in. I have prepared two rooms. One for the girls and one for you, Cristina and your hubby." The Hunt family followed Bertha into the house. Owen could not help but admire the architecture. The house was amazing, he thought. As Bertha led them to their rooms, Cristina asked her, "Where's dad?"

"He is in his room," Bertha said. "And Beatrice?" Cristina asked. Bertha rolled her eyes, before she spoke. "Your stepmother is in town, doing some shopping. You can go see your dad after you put your luggage in your rooms. I will leave you to it. Now, Cristina, I hope I don't have to remind you that this is your home, too, no matter what your stepmother says." Owen put the girls' luggage into the bedroom with the two beds, while he placed his and Cristina's luggage in the larger room with the queen sized bed.

"Let's go and see dad," she said. They all went to the bedroom at the end of the hall. Cristina knocked on the door. "Come in," they heard a voice say. It was frailer than from the last time she had heard her father's voice. They all trooped into the bedroom. "Cristina," her father called out, with the biggest smile on his face. Cristina could not believe how weak her father looked.

"Dad!" she said, as she ran into her father's open arms. It was clear to Owen that Cristina loved her father very much, despite the very contentious relationship over the last few years. As father and daughter hugged, everyone else was quiet. Harold Yang wiped away his tears before he said, "Let me see my grandkids." Laurel and Iris climbed up on to the bed and gave their grandfather a hug and a kiss.

"You two are such beauties, just like my baby, Cristina," Harold said. He looked across at Owen, who was still quietly standing to the side. He beckoned to Owen, "So you are my son-in-law, Owen?"

Owen nodded and came forward to shake the older man's hand. "Yes, sir. Major Owen Hunt," he said.

"Dr. Harold Yang," Harold said. "I hear you are a doctor. So we have that in common."

"Yes, I am," Owen said. "An army surgeon. I did my fellowship training at Maryland's Shock Trauma Center after I did my residency at Mass Gen."

"Mass Gen. So am I right that you went to medical school at Harvard?" Harold asked. Owen nodded. "And my pre-med at Northwestern."

"Those are all great schools, Owen. So why did you decide to go into the army?" Harold asked.

"Well, I thought that they would need my skills on the frontline. I wanted to serve my country and this is the best way that I know how," Owen said, firmly. He was aware of his father-in-law's bias against Cristina marrying a serviceman but he wanted it made clear why he had joined the armed forces.

"Hmmm," Harold said. "So how are you feeling, dad?" Cristina asked. "Is the chemo getting you sick?"

"Well, it wouldn't be chemo if it didn't get me sick. Never smoked a day in my life and to end up with lung cancer," Harold said. Owen was taken aback. Cristina never mentioned that her dad had cancer. She had just said he was ill. No wonder it had been so important for her to make the trip to South Carolina.

"You're going to get better, dad," she said, a tear rolling down her face. Her father stroked her cheek. "I don't know, pumpkin. I am fighting it but I don't know," he said. Cristina rested her head on her father's chest, as he stroked her head. Her father looked so frail and pale, since she had last seen him. The two little girls were quiet. They knew their mommy was sad. "Come on, girls," Owen said. "Let's give Mommy and Grandpa some private time." He took the two little girls off the bed and led them out of the room. He carried them downstairs to the kitchen, where Bertha was, and asked if she had anything for them to drink.

"Major Hunt, you are family. Just go into the refrigerator and take out whatever you want. Glasses are in the far right cupboard," Bertha said. Owen did as he was told and poured out some orange juice for his children.

"Where is Cristina?" Bertha asked. "She is with her dad," Owen said. "I thought we could give them some private time." Bertha sighed.

"Can I ask, Bertha, how bad is it?"Owen asked.

"It's bad, Major Hunt. Dr. Yang is fighting really hard but it is really bad. He had to stop his practice to take care of himself," Bertha said. "I am in great fear for him."

"Bertha, stop making these statements to strangers," said a woman with a sharp voice, as she entered the kitchen. Owen glanced at the woman, with the chestnut brown hair and light grey eyes. This was Cristina's stepmother, Beatrice, he guessed.

"He is not a stranger, Miss Beatrice," Bertha said. "He is Cristina's husband, Major Owen Hunt." Owen got up to shake Beatrice's hand. "Good to meet you, ma'am," he said. Beatrice shook his hand. "Likewise, Major Hunt," she said. "One thing about Cristina – she certainly has taste in good-looking men."

Owen wasn't sure how he was to respond to that, so he turned to the children. "Laurel and Iris, say hello to your gran…" He was cut off from saying grandmother as Beatrice interjected, "No, no. They call me Miss Beatrice. I am not their grandmother."

"Okay, say hello, girls," Owen said. "Hello, Miss Beatrice," Laurel and Iris said in unison.

"Hello, girls. You are both very pretty girls but I just want to remind you that I don't like mess and noise around here. Just remember that and we will get along," Beatrice said. Owen cringed. He didn't like hearing how Beatrice spoke to his babies. No wonder Cristina didn't want to come to live here.

"Where is Cristina?" Beatrice asked. "She is with her father," Owen said, quietly.

"Well, I guess that I knew she would be," Beatrice replied. "Bertha, when will dinner be ready?"

"In about 30 minutes," Bertha replied. Owen took that as his cue to say that he was going to take the girls to their room to wash their hands. As he walked away, he knew that Cristina was right about her stepmother. That woman could suck the joy out of the room in an instant.

He took his daughters to their room and washed their hands. He put on the television for them and told them that he would be back, as soon as he checked on their mommy. He went to their bedroom and he could already hear the sobs coming from it. He opened the door to find Cristina in total despair, lying on the bed. He kicked off his shoes and got in next to her. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close, waiting for her sobs to diminish before he spoke. When she got quiet, he asked, "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because you already had so much on your plate, being across there in Iraq. You're risking your life and saving other people's lives," she said. "I didn't want to add more to it. I thought it was something that I could deal with by myself."

"Oh, Cristina," he said, burying his face into her hair. "You are more important to me than anything else in the world. Don't you know that?"

She sniffled. "I just didn't want to burden you," she said, softly.

"If you are hurting, I want to know about it," he said. "So tell me about it." She told him that her dad had found out about the lung cancer, eight months ago. Since then, he had undergone surgery, as well was undergoing chemotherapy and radiation. The fear was that the cancer was spreading.

"My dad may be dying, Owen," she said, the tears filling her eyes, once again. He hugged her until she stopped crying. There was a small knock on the door. "Papa, Mommy," they heard Iris say. "They are calling us for dinner."

"Okay, baby," Cristina said. She wiped her tears away, went to the bathroom and washed her face. They headed down to the dining room, where Bertha had already laid out dinner. Bertha had already set out a tray of food that she was carrying up for Dr. Yang. She was heading up the stairs when the phone rang.

"Would you be a dear, Cristina and get that for me?" Bertha asked. "I just want to carry this up for your dad."

"Sure," Cristina said, as she ran to the living room and picked up the receiver. In the meanwhile, Owen, the girls and Beatrice all sat down at the dining room table, awaiting Cristina's return. She came back, looking a little flushed.

"Well, who was it, Cristina?" Beatrice asked. "Was it for me?"

"No, it wasn't," Cristina replied. "It was for me. It was Josh's mother, Lillian. She wanted me to bring the girls over, tomorrow to their house. Owen, she also said to make sure that I bring you across, too. They are very interested in meeting you."

"Oh," was all Owen could say.

* * *

**A/N Please leave your thoughts and comments. Thanks for leaving your reviews. I do appreciate them.**


	12. Chapter 12 Tom and Lillian

Cristina drove Owen and the girls across to Josh's parents' house. They had borrowed Cristina's dad's car. He hadn't been using it so he gladly lent it to them. Owen was nervous, especially since they had specifically asked that he be there. It was a middle-class house, much smaller than Cristina's dad's grandiose house.

Cristina knocked on the door. They waited for a bit and then, she knocked again. "Coming, coming, don't go, we are here," they heard a woman's voice say. The door opened to reveal a plump woman with salt and pepper hair. blue eyes and rosy cheeks.

"Cristina!" she screamed, as Lillian Daniels hugged her daughter in law. "It has been too long!" Then, she took notice of her grandchildren. "Iris, Laurel!" She scooped up both girls in her arms and had them in a bear hug.

"Granny, Granny," the girls said, as she covered them with kisses. "Granddad will be so happy to see you girls," Lillian said, as she led them into the house. She had been so pre-occupied with her grandchildren that she finally noticed Owen following Cristina into the house. She put down the girls. "Where are my manners?" she said to Owen. "I should introduce myself to you. I am Lillian Daniels."

"Yes, I know," Owen said. "Major Owen Hunt. I am very pleased to meet you." Owen and Lillian politely shook hands, both acutely aware that he was the man, who had taken the place of Josh in Cristina's life.

"Very nice to meet you, Major," she said. "Oh, you can call me Owen," he said. "No need for formalities."

"I thought I heard voices in here."A tall, older man with brown hair, with specks of grey in between, came into the room. His face and eyes lit up as soon as he saw the two little girls. "My precious grandchildren." The two girls ran to him as he bent down to hug them. "Iris, Laurel, you both have gotten so big. Granny and I have lots of treats for the both of you." He stood back up and beckoned Cristina to him. She went to him and he enveloped her in his arms. "Cristina, it is always good to see you. As pretty as ever."

"Thanks, Tom," she said. "I am so glad that we are here."

"So how is your dad doing?" he asked, with a look of concern in his green eyes. Owen noticed that Tom had the same green eyes that Josh and the girls had.

"He is doing as well as can be expected, given the circumstances," she said. "He sends his greetings."

"Ah, we should go and see him, Lillian. Bad business this cancer," Tom said. He had certainly noticed Owen's presence in the room. He went to Owen and put out his hand to shake. "Tom Daniels," he said. "I assume you are Major Owen Hunt."

Owen nodded. "Yes, sir, I am pleased to meet you," he said. They both shook hands. "Should I call you Major?" Tom asked. Owen shook his head. "Owen is just fine," he told Tom.

"Good, good," Tom said. "I hope you guys are hungry. Lillian has prepared a feast for lunch."

"Starving," Cristina said, as they all headed to the dining room. Owen followed everyone. He still felt uncomfortable but even though Lillian and Tom were both polite to him, it still had not put him at ease. As they walked, he noted that there were numerous pictures of Josh all around. Many were from his childhood and in his uniform. There were also pictures of Cristina and the girls. It made Owen feel more and more like an interloper.

In the dining room, Tom and Lillian took their seats at the head and the foot of the table. Cristina and Laurel sat on one side, while Owen and Iris sat on the other. Tom was right. Lillian had prepared a feast for them. Cristina thought it was too much food for just the six of them but she knew her mother-in-law would insist on them carrying some leftovers home for her father.

"Shall we say grace?" Lillian asked. Everyone joined hands. "Thank you, O Lord, for the food for which we are about to partake. Thank you even more for bringing Cristina, Owen and our grandchildren here to visit us. Bless us, O Lord, this day and for all the days to come. As always, keep Josh close to you in your arms. Amen." She let out a big breath after she said it. Owen could tell that even though it was a year, she had not really gotten over the death of her son. He knew that would be a hard thing for parents to get over. His own mother would be devastated if something would ever happen to him.

"Okay, let's eat," Tom said. The food was extremely scrumptious, Owen had to admit. He decided to tell Lillian that and was rewarded with a very sweet smile. "Thank you, Owen," Lillian said. "It is rare that I get a chance to cook like this. It is only Tom and me here and we don't need that much. Love it when we have family come to visit."

"So how is school, Iris?" Tom asked the five-year-old. "Very good," the little girl replied.

"Do you know that Iris goes to a school for the gifted?" Owen said, proudly. "They said that she is probably capable of doing fourth grade and possibly even fifth grade work."

"What!" Lillian said. "Iris is a little genius. I always knew she was a wunderkind since she was able to read when she was two." Iris gave her grandmother a shy smile.

"Yes," Owen said. "Cristina and I are very proud of her. " He patted his daughter on her back.

"Clearly, that book-learning comes from your side, Cristina," Tom said. "Certainly wasn't from our side." He guffawed, loudly and slapped the table. Everyone laughed.

"What about little Laurel?" Lillian asked. "Is she as smart as her sister?" Laurel looked around at the mention of her name.

"Laurel is smart," Owen said. "She already knows her ABCs and also how to count. She is starting pre-school in the fall." He was very proud of both his girls.

"Well, I am sure that Laurel is going to do just fine in pre-school," Lillian said.

After the meal, Cristina helped Lillian wash up the dishes. Lillian also put aside some extra food for Cristina's father and insisted that she must take it with her, when they left. In the meantime, Tom played with his grandchildren while Owen looked on.

"We're done, now," Lillian said, wiping her hands on a kitchen towel. "Tom?" Her husband looked at her. There was a quick exchange of looks, which Owen caught, immediately. He knew this was coming. They wanted to speak to him and Cristina. "Cristina, can you take the kids up to Josh's old room? There are a lot of things we bought for them in there. You can leave them there and come back. We just want to have a chat with you and Owen, if that is okay," Tom said. Cristina gathered up her two little girls and carried them to Josh's room. She returned, a few minutes later.

"Let's go the living room and have some coffee," Lillian said. As they got there, Cristina and Owen felt somewhat nervous. Lillian poured out coffee for everyone. When everyone had a cup in their hand, Tom spoke. "Lillian and I are very grateful that you could come and visit us. There is nothing that gives us greater pleasure than seeing our granddaughters. So, we thank you for that. Owen, we really wanted to meet you, since you will be raising them, along with Cristina. Now that we have met you, I think it is safe to say that they are in good hands. We can see that you love them, too."

He took his wife's hand before he continued. "Lillian and I were very wary of all of this," he admitted. "Especially the speed of your marriage, so soon after Josh's death. We were shocked, totally shocked, when your dad told us that you had gotten remarried, especially eight weeks after Josh had passed." A tear rolled down his face, as he said it.

"I am sorry about that," Cristina said. "I loved Josh very much. I still love Josh very much. When Owen and I got married, I made a choice that I thought was the best option for the girls and me. You know we were going to come back to South Carolina to live with Dad and Beatrice. But, well, you know how it is with Beatrice."

Tom and Lillian nodded in unison. They were both aware of how prickly a personality Beatrice was. "I knew it was not going to be a good environment for my children. Owen made me an offer of marriage and I knew it was a risk because we had known each other for such a short time. But in the time that I knew him, he was nothing but kind and generous to the girls and me. I knew he was a good man and he would do right by the kids and me."

"What? So you two didn't know each other very long?" Lillian was shocked.

"Yes, only a couple of days, actually," Owen said. Lillian and Tom's mouths dropped open.

"So how?" Tom asked. "How did you meet them?"

"Actually, I met Cristina because of Josh," Owen said. "Josh and I met at the combat hospital in Iraq. I am an army surgeon and Josh was my patient. I was the one who operated on him." At this point, both Tom and Lillian were in tears.

"I operated on him twice. I really thought he was going to make it. After the first operation, Josh and I talked and he showed me the picture of Cristina and the girls that he carried around with him, all of the time. He told me how they met and had their babies and got married," Owen said, thoughtfully. He could actually still see Josh telling him all about Cristina and the children.

"Yes, he loved you so much, Cristina. I remember the first day he saw you in class, he came home and couldn't stop talking about you," Tom said. "Never saw him that excited about a girl before."

"Remember, Tom, he used to call her his Asian princess," Lillian said, smiling through her tears.

"Yes, he told me that, too," Owen said. "Later that night, things turned for the worst for Josh. He was having internal bleeding, so I had to go back in. But before he went in, he gave me the picture of Cristina and the girls and made me promise to tell her that he loved her so much and that she was the love of his life." Cristina, at this point, could not hold back the tears. She grabbed for Owen's hand and he squeezed it.

Owen continued, "So when I came home from leave and visited my mother in Seattle, I made the trip to Georgia to return the picture to Cristina and to tell her Josh's last words."

"Wow," Lillian said. "Thank you so much for doing that for my son. Not many people would go through that effort, especially traveling across the country to do so."

"I think I owed it to Josh," Owen said. "Then I met Cristina and the girls. I helped them pack up the house, as they had to move out. Then, she told me about moving back to South Carolina and living with Beatrice and her dad. It was clear to me that she and the girls were not going to be happy, there. I was headed to the airport and then, I made the decision to ask her to marry me. They could remain a military family and get all of the benefits that they were used to getting. Cristina thought about it and she agreed. Then, we moved to Fort Clemson in California. That is where I am based."

Tom and Lillian were both quiet, as they allowed all of that information to sink in. "So it was a marriage of convenience?" Lillian asked. Cristina nodded. "Yes, it was," she said. "I mean we liked each other but we didn't love each other."

"And now?" Tom asked. "We love each other very much," Owen said. "I can't imagine life without her and the children in it. I will do everything to make them happy."

"Me, too," Cristina said. "I love him. We actually fell in love while we communicated with each other, while he was in Iraq. I mean I know it sounds crazy but it is true. And the girls love him very much. He is a good father to them."

"I can see that," Lillian said. "But I don't want them to forget Josh."

"Oh, no, they won't," Owen said. "I think it is very important to remember their dad. He was a good soldier, who died for his country. I want them to be proud of him. He gave the ultimate sacrifice."

"Thank you," Tom said. "Thank you. Josh was our only boy. He had sisters but he was our only boy. I was so proud of him when he decided to serve our country. Owen, I know you understand how he felt."

"Yes, I do," Owen said. "You raised a good man." There was silence as each of them thought about the fallen soldier. There were some more tears, as they hugged each other.

Later, when Owen took Cristina and the girls home, he turned to his wife and said, "I am glad that we came."

"Me, too," she said. He took her hand and kissed it.

* * *

**A/N Please leave your comments and thoughts. Thanks for the reviews. I do appreciate them.**


	13. Chapter 13 Goodbye

The next few days at the Yang household were pleasant enough, despite the presence of Beatrice Yang. Owen held his tongue, whenever she made her biting remarks, because he didn't want to cause dissension or make waves. The only time he felt his anger rile up was when she was shouting at his children. Iris and Laurel were little kids and were bound to make some sort of mess. He could not stop himself when he found her, screaming at the kids. The tiny girls were cowering, while holding on to each other and crying. "I told you before that I will not tolerate any messes in this house," Beatrice yelled.

"Beatrice!" Owen spoke, loudly, his voice booming across the room. The two little girls ran to him and hugged his legs. He stroked their heads as they cried on his pants. "Do not yell at my children." Beatrice glared at him and said, firmly, "This is my house and I like it kept clean and tidy. Look at this mess they have made." Owen looked at the floor. There was a broken glass, spilled milk and a hand towel on the floor.

"What happened, Iris?" he asked the five-year-old. "I got Laurel a glass of milk and it slipped from her hands," Iris said, softly. "I tried to clean it up before Miss Beatrice saw it. I got a towel from the bathroom and tried to wipe it up."

"Okay, Iris, you tried to do good," he said, ruffling her hair. He then addressed Beatrice. "I will clean it up. It was an accident. They are only little kids."

"Look at what she used to clean up the mess," Beatrice continued. "My monogrammed hand towels."

"It is only a towel, Beatrice. It can be washed. There is no need to yell at them," he said. He went to the kitchen and got some paper towels, bent down and wiped up the mess from the floor. He picked up the broken glass and threw it in the garbage. He washed the milk out of the hand-towel and then put it up to dry. "Iris, you and Laurel, should have called me to help you. You both could have been cut with this broken glass."

"We didn't want Miss Beatrice to yell at us," Iris said. "But it was too late. She caught me, trying to wipe it up."

"It is okay," he said. "Come on, go to your room and watch some television. I will come and check on you in a bit." Iris took her sister's hand and they went to their room. Owen shook his head and went to find Cristina. After that incident, he was so elated that he had asked Cristina to marry him. He could not bear that she and her girls would have been living under Beatrice's critical eye on a daily basis. It would have been such a miserable environment for the three of them. He found Cristina in the backyard, picking flowers to place in her father's bedroom.

"Cristina, I can't take it anymore with that woman," he said. Cristina looked up at him, with a slight smile on her face. She knew he was talking about Beatrice.

"I guess you know that I wasn't exaggerating, when I told you about Beatrice," Cristina said. "She was yelling at our kids for spilling some milk on the floor," he said. "I was so mad and I held my tongue. I could have really told her what I thought about her. Cristina, I am sorry but I can't stay here much longer. I know your dad is sick and you want to spend time with him but that woman is a tyrant and just hates our kids. It is not good for them because they are so scared of her. Iris and Laurel tried to clean up the mess by themselves but they could have got hurt with that broken glass on the floor. Plus they don't even have kid-friendly plastic glasses in this house."

"Are they okay?" she asked, the concern apparent in her voice. "Yes, I cleaned up the mess and put them in their room to watch tv," he said. "They needed a bit of calm after the trauma."

"Thank you," she said, quietly.

"Why are you thanking me? I was just helping our kids out," he asked, a little puzzled. "For saving us from this life where we would have had to live with Beatrice," she told him and wrapped her arms around him. "It was the best thing I ever did," he told her, kissing her on her forehead. They stood there for a few minutes, just being quiet and enjoying being in love with one another.

"Okay, we can go back home," she said. "Good," he replied. "I will book our flights. I think you should tell your dad that we are leaving." She nodded, as she released herself from his arms. "I am going to put these flowers in his room and I will tell him." He watched her as she walked back into the house. He called the airline and made reservations to get them back to California, the next day.

* * *

As they all finished up dinner that night, Bertha came down from Dr Yang's room, after removing his tray of dirty dishes from his room.

"Major Hunt," she said. "Dr. Yang would like you to come visit him, after you are through with dinner."

"Okay," Owen said, more than surprised. "Cristina, too?" Bertha firmly shook her head. "No, not Cristina," she said. "Just you."

"Alright, I will go up, now," he said, as he got up from the table. He went to Dr. Yang's room and knocked on the door.

"Come on in, Owen," he heard his father-in-law say. "I have been waiting for you." Owen walked in the room, not really knowing what to expect.

"Hey, Harold, how are you doing?" Owen asked. He hadn't seen much of his father-in-law during his visit there since he knew that Harold needed his rest. Cristina and the girls visited him every day. He could see the flowers that Cristina had picked in the vase on the bedside table.

"Much better, actually," Harold said. It was the truth. He certainly looked much better than when they first saw him on the day that they arrived. "Cristina and the girls being here have done me good."

"Yes, you do look better," Owen said. "That's excellent."

"I heard that you all plan to leave tomorrow," Harold said. "I am sad to see you all go but I can understand why. Beatrice is not the easiest person to get along with but despite all of her flaws, I know that she loves me."

"Is there a particular reason that you asked to see me?" Owen asked, trying to steer the topic away from Beatrice. There was a lot he could say about that woman but he felt it would not have been appropriate.

"Yes," Harold said. "I want to thank you for taking care of Cristina and the girls. It makes me rest easy, knowing that they are in good hands."

"I love them very much," Owen said. "They are my life."

"Good," Harold said. "You know that Josh, Cristina's first husband and I did not have the best of relationships. I always wanted the best for Cristina and I didn't think Josh was it. When he joined the army at 18 and I sent Cristina off to college, I thought that would be it for them. But they had other ideas and when they told me that she was pregnant, I was so mad. I thought this boy was going to bring her down. Then, they got married and had another kid and then, he died."

"He died an honorable death and I realize now that I was unfair to him. Being so close to death gives you a lot of clarity," Harold said. "He was a good boy and he loved my daughter so much."

Owen was silent. He knew that Cristina's dad probably did not have much time left.

"So we come to you, Owen. After I am gone, I would trust that you will continue to love and take care of Cristina and my grandchildren," he said. "That goes without saying," Owen said. Harold put up his hand, as he wanted to continue talking.

"I want to tell you the contents of my will, Owen," Harold said. "I am leaving this house and the property to Beatrice. She loves this place and I doubt Cristina would want it. Beatrice will also be paid an allowance from the estate, so she can live comfortably for the rest of her life. Bertha will also receive a lump sum for her years of dedication to our family.

"The bulk of my financial assets are going to Cristina and her children. She doesn't know that and I would like to keep it that way until my passing. Cristina will get her inheritance immediately but I have set up trust funds for Iris, Laurel and any other children that you and Cristina might have."

"That is very generous of you, sir," Owen said. Harold chuckled. "She is the best gift I ever got," he said. "I remember holding her in my arms when she was a baby and all I could think about how I wanted to give her the world. She was always my little shadow and I was the most important man in her life. Until, she fell in love and I was no longer the most important man in her life. Maybe I was jealous of Josh that he had taken away my baby's affections; maybe that was why I gave him such a hard time. My attitude towards Josh caused a rift in our relationship. She would always choose Josh. I know that, now."

"I wished you would tell Cristina that," Owen said. "It would mean so much to her to hear that."

"I already did," Harold said. "I told her that today, when she told me that you were leaving. I was wrong about Josh. He was good and kind and true. That he died a hero's death for his country."

"I think she was probably glad to hear that," Owen said. Harold cocked his head and looked at him. "But Josh is no longer here. It is you, now. Promise me that you will always love her, that you will always be there for my baby girl."

"Always," Owen said. "That I can promise." The older man had tears in his eyes as he and Owen shook hands. "I am going to turn in for the night, now," Harold said. "Glad we had this talk, Owen."

* * *

The next day, it was time to say goodbye. Cristina and the girls had a tearful goodbye with her father in his room. Then, there were the hugs for Bertha and the polite handshakes with Beatrice. The two little girls said in unison, "Goodbye, Miss Beatrice," as they gratefully got into the taxi, glad that they never had to see that scary woman for a long time.

When they got home, the family was exhausted from the day's traveling. The two girls fell asleep quickly, while Owen and Cristina were snuggled together on their bed, happy to be in their own home.

"I am glad that we went to see dad," she said. "Yeah, I think it was important that you did," he replied.

"I am not fooling myself into thinking dad is going to make it," she said, softly. "I know his time is limited so I am going to cherish this." Owen nodded and closed his eyes.

"He told me he was wrong," she said. Owen opened his eyes. "Wrong about what?" he asked.

"Josh. He was wrong about him," she answered. "I was glad that he said it but I was kinda sad that Josh wasn't around to hear it. Dad always gave Josh a hard time."

"Well, maybe your dad was afraid of losing his little girl," Owen said. "After all, it was just you and him." Owen could say this, having had that insightful conversation with her father.

"Maybe," Cristina said. "I hadn't thought of it like that. Overall, I think it was a great visit, in spite of the presence of Beatrice."

"Oh, Beatrice," Owen said, slapping his forehead with his hand. "I couldn't get away from that woman, fast enough. I couldn't stand the way she spoke to the girls."

"Despite everything, I know she loves my dad," Cristina said. "She is fiercely protective of him and will do anything for him."

"I don't doubt that but she needs a personality transplant," Owen said. They both laughed, hysterically.

He wrapped his arms around her. "Do you know what tomorrow is?"

"Hmm," she said, with mirth in her voice. "I wonder what it is."

"Stop playing with me," he said, as he started to tickle her. "You know what it is." She screamed. "Stop, stop it. I give. I give. It is our first anniversary!"

With a smile on his face, he turned her around and claimed her lips with a deep kiss. As she kissed him back, she knew that she was the luckiest woman in the world to have experienced such depths of love, twice in her life. "I love you forever and ever," she whispered. "Always," he agreed.

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**A/N Please leave your thoughts and comments. Thanks for being kind enough to do so. I do appreciate when people make the effort to leave a review.**


	14. Chapter 14 First Anniversary

**A/N: Some mature content.**

* * *

Cristina dug her fingers into Owen's back as he thrust deeper into her. "Oh, my God," she screamed. She grabbed on to his buttocks as she pushed his body more into her. She screamed his name as she came, as the waves of pleasure took over her body and she shuddered underneath him. With a gasp and a groan, he released his seed into her. He let his body relax on her as he rested his head against her chest. Their breathing was ragged, as they tried to calm down after their third bout of torrid lovemaking that night.

"It's a good thing that my babies are sound sleepers," she said, running her fingers through his hair. "They didn't hear any of this, much to our benefit."

He laughed, though it was muffled, since his face was against her chest. He lifted his head. "I was a bit afraid that Iris and Laurel were going to march in here, wondering if I was killing their mommy."

"Oh, you killed me, alright," she chuckled. "But in other ways." She glanced across at the digital clock on the bedside table to see that it was after midnight. "Oh, hey, happy anniversary, Owen," she said. "We have been married one year." He raised his head so he could kiss her. "Happy anniversary, Cristina. It was the best decision of my life to marry you. I guess we should get some sleep. We have a big day ahead of us."

"A big day, huh?" she said, wrapping her arms around him. "I am looking forward to it." He murmured a bit but he fell asleep soon after.

* * *

They were awakened the next morning by someone trying to open their bedroom door. There was a small knock. "Who is it?" Owen yelled, knowing full well it could only be two tiny people.

"Me," they heard both Laurel and Iris shriek.

"Hold on," Owen said. "Mommy and I have to get a little bit decent." He searched around for his pj bottoms and put them on, while Cristina dragged on her underwear and pulled her nightgown over her head. "Ready?" he asked her. She nodded, as she tugged and straightened her nightgown. Owen got up and opened the door. Two little girls burst into the room, their long dark curly hair flying behind them.

"Happy anniversary!" Iris screamed. "Happy anni-something!" Laurel screamed, too. She wasn't quite sure what the word was but it was close enough. The two tiny girls climbed into their parents' bed and lay down next to their mother. "Thank you, my beautiful babies," Owen said. "Thank you very much."

"Do you know what it means?" Cristina asked. Laurel looked a little doubtful because she wasn't even sure what the word was but her sister shrieked, "Yes! You and Papa have been married one whole year."

"Yes, that is right, Iris," Owen said. "And Mommy and I are going to take you two girls to breakfast and then we are going to the beach, then have some lunch and we are going to drop you off at Denise's house and you will stay there for the rest of the day." Denise was one of their neighbors and had kindly agreed to allow the children to overnight at her house, so Cristina and Owen could have some alone time on their anniversary.

"You planned all of this?" she asked with a smile. She reached out and squeezed his hand.

"Yes, I called Denise, when we were in South Carolina," he said. "I wanted to spend part of the day with all of my girls and then alone with my most special girl."

With their two little girls between them, the family snuggled down for a snooze, until they were ready to go out for breakfast.

* * *

Before they got to the breakfast place, Owen stopped by the flower store and bought Cristina some white lilies. Then, they had a delicious breakfast at an outdoor café. The waitress fussed over the two little girls, saying how pretty they were and brought them extra pastries. Iris and Laurel were extremely pleased, judging from the amount of powdered sugar around their mouths and on their faces. Then, they took a drive to the beach, where the family had most of the beach to themselves, since there weren't many people around. They walked on the beach, collected shells and then, when they thought it was warm enough, they went for a swim. The little girls climbed all over Owen, as they jumped off him into the water. Cristina was alarmed at their daredevil attitude but Owen was proud that they weren't afraid to do that. Though they couldn't verbalize it, the girls just felt safe around Owen and that he would always be there for them.

It was closer to lunchtime, when they came out of the water. Everyone was tired and hungry, so they went and grabbed lunch at a nearby waterfront restaurant. After a particularly filling lunch, they dropped off the children at Denise's house, while Owen and Cristina went back home. The children were excited to stay at Denise's house because she also had two small girls. Cristina looked wistfully at her children, as they drove away. It was rare for them to be away from her.

It was eerily quiet in the house without the sound of Laurel's and Iris' laughter and chatter in the house. "Seems weird without them," Cristina said. Owen smiled at his wife. He knew she was already missing her girls. She went to the kitchen, found a vase, filled it with water and arranged her lilies in it.

"Hey," Owen said. "Let us take a nap. I have a big night ahead of us." She took his hand and they walked to their bedroom. As she snuggled against him, they were both quiet for a bit. He closed his eyes.

"Owen, do you want more children?" she asked. "What?" he replied. "More children. Yeah, but only when you are ready."

"I am glad to hear you say that," she said. "I haven't been using any birth control and I haven't asked you to use any, either." His eyes immediately fluttered open.

"So you've been trying?" he asked, excitedly. He wasn't that sleepy, anymore. "Well, sorta," she admitted. "We don't see each other that often and if we want kids, we have to try when we are together."

"So does this mean that we could already be pregnant?" he said. She said, "Who knows? Maybe."

"Cristina, you don't know how happy you have made me," he said. "There is nothing more in the world that I want than to have a baby with you."

"So we are okay with this, then?" she said. "More than okay. Positively and wonderfully okay with this," he answered. She snuggled, contentedly, against him. They were silent for the moment, until he spoke once again. "If you want, we could try now," he said.

She raised her head to look at him. "Owen Hunt, are you trying to get some more sex out of me?" She chuckled.

"Well, if we are trying, we might as well get as much sex as we possibly can," he said. "Besides, what better time to do it than now. We can be as loud as we want because there are no kiddies around to hear us making love in the middle of the day." She got up from the bed. "Hey, where are you going?" he asked, puzzled.

"I am taking off my clothes," she said, as she unzipped her dress and let it drop to the floor. "I suggest you do the same." He jumped off the bed and started stripping, immediately, before leaping back on to the bed. He watched as she leisurely slipped off her bra and her panties. "Come on, my love," he said. "Let's get it on."

"Okay, Marvin Gaye, we can certainly get it on," she said, as she crawled into the bed on all fours and leaned over and kissed him. He pulled her to lie on top of him, as his hands explored the smoothness of her body. "You've got an awesome butt," he said, as he gently squeezed it.

She stopped kissing him to laugh. "Thank you, I do try," she said, with a laugh. She slipped down his body and took him into her mouth, bringing him to tautness. He closed his eyes, as he slipped into a total state of bliss. He was indeed a very lucky man.

* * *

Owen was waiting for his wife. He was all dressed up in a dark suit and purple tie. His strawberry blonde hair was slicked back. He wore his purple tie because he knew she was going to wear a purple dress. He wanted to surprise her with it. When she finally came out of the bedroom, he was stunned at how beautiful she looked in her purple strap dress and her hair up. "You are so beautiful," he said, as he held her hand and spun her around. "Purple is definitely one of your colors."

"I see you're wearing a purple tie, too," she said. "Isn't that a little prom-ish?"

"Hey, I just want to know we are together," he said, with a laugh. "We're a pair, we match, we're together." They headed out the door and he drove to a very fancy restaurant that was in the city. He had requested a window table where they could get a great view of the lights of the city skyline. He had prepared everything before hand, ordering some of her favorite foods. He wanted this night to be perfect.

He watched with delight as she feasted on her dinner. "You are too good to me," she said.

"It's nothing," he said. "I do it because you're the best part of my life." She reached over and caressed his hand.

After dinner, they danced in the middle of the restaurant. He realized it was the first time they had ever danced together. When they got married, it wasn't exactly a celebratory affair, just one borne out of necessity. As he held her in his arms, she rested her head against his shoulder. "Our first dance," he whispered. "I was thinking the same thing," she replied. "Well, we can look forward to many more dances on our anniversary in the years to come."

"Good thought," he said. As the music ended, he led her back to their table. Their dessert was already waiting for them at the table. "Ooh, so nice, so creamy, so chocolatey, so fattening," she said, as she stuck her fork into it. "The best kind of dessert." As she polished it off, she leaned back into her chair. "Gosh, I am so full. This has been a wonderful night. I have never eaten so much in my life. Thank you very much. This has been a great anniversary dinner."

"I am elated that you have enjoyed the night," he said. "But it is not over." He reached into his pocket and pulled out an envelope. "They say that first anniversary is paper. I racked my brain and couldn't think of what I could get that was made out of paper. Then, I thought about this."

She opened the envelope and pulled out a handwritten letter on fine linen ivory paper. At the top of it, the heading was "The Day My Life Began" with the date of their wedding day. It was a love letter, in which he wrote about how much his life had changed since he married her, how much he loved her, how much he could not imagine life without her and finally, how much she made him want to be a better man.

In the end, he wrote, "I didn't know my life was missing something. That is, until I met you. Now, my life is complete. Happy Anniversary, Cristina. May we have many more."

A single tear rolled down her cheek. "That was the best anniversary present ever. You are a great husband and dad. I love you, Owen."

"I love you, Cristina." He reached over the table and kissed her.

* * *

**A/N Please leave your thoughts and comments. I do appreciate them very much. It gives me the incentive to continue when sometimes, I don't feel like writing anymore.**


	15. Chapter 15 Happy Father's Day

Owen could feel that Cristina was trying to get out of bed. He grabbed her before she could do so. His fingers ran over her smooth, naked body.

"Where are you going? It is Sunday and it is too early to get up," he protested, holding on to his wife.

"I have to get up. I have to help Iris and Laurel," she said, trying to remove his hands.

"Help them with what?" Owen asked. "It is too early for them to be up, too."

"With your Father's Day breakfast," she said. "It's no ordinary Sunday. It is Father's Day and the girls and I had a discussion yesterday. They said they wanted to give you breakfast in bed. Since they are only five and three, I think it would a wise idea for me to help them."

Owen grinned. Father's Day – he hadn't really thought about it much. Technically, this would be his second Father's Day. His first Father's Day was last year when they had just got married. He had already been back in Iraq. However, even if he had been with them at the base last year, it would have been weird and awkward, given that their marriage had been one of convenience and the girls had just lost their father. This year, it was different. They were a real family.

"Okay, I am waiting with bated breath to see what you guys have cooked up," he said. "It will probably be me," she told him. "I don't think I trust them around the stove." She got up from the bed, pulled on her nightshirt and underwear and headed to the bathroom. She had finished brushing her teeth, when she came out and looked at him, still in all of his naked glory.

"Listen, you better put your pajamas on because I don't want my babies to be alarmed to see you in that state. They may be traumatized forever," she said. "I enjoy you in that state but not them." Owen laughed, loudly, as he found his t-shirt and pj bottoms and put them on, before climbing back into bed.

"And another thing, can you pretend to be asleep and act like it is a big surprise, when we bring you breakfast in bed?" she said, as she opened the bedroom door to leave.

"Yes, ma'am," he said. "I will pretend to be asleep. In fact, I may be truly asleep by the time you guys get here."

"That will also do," she said, as she closed the door and left.

Cristina went to the kitchen, where she found Iris trying to take out the eggs from the egg tray in the refrigerator. She was standing on a step stool but she was still on her tip-toes to reach the egg tray. One egg dropped to the floor. "Oops," she said.

"Oh, Iris, come down from there, I will take out the eggs," she said, staring at the broken egg on the floor. Iris came down and Cristina removed the step stool. She took out the eggs and put them on the counter and got to work, cleaning up the mess on the floor.

"Where is your sister?" Cristina asked. "She couldn't get up," Iris said. It was just as well. Iris was enough trouble in the kitchen and to have Laurel underfoot, too, would make things even more difficult. "Do you want me to try and wake her up?" Iris asked, trying to be helpful.

"No, no, we will wake her up when we are ready with the breakfast," Cristina said. "Do you have your card ready for Papa?"

"Yes," Iris said proudly. She had done a large card with a drawing of her papa in his uniform on the front with the words, "To Papa, Happy Father's day." Inside the card, she had drawn a picture of the rest of their family – Cristina, Iris and Laurel. Iris had written her name under the figure that was her. Laurel also wrote her name, too, under the drawing that represented her. Actually, Cristina held Laurel's hand so she could write her name. It came out very shaky but Laurel was very pleased with it. Cristina signed her name under the mommy figure. To finish it off, Iris had put the appropriate green glitter on it. She explained that it was the same color as her papa's uniform.

"So are you ready to help me?" Cristina asked. "Yes," Iris asked. Together, they put together a breakfast of scrambled eggs, ham and toast. There was also fruit comprising watermelon, cantaloupe and strawberries. This was accompanied by a cup of coffee and a glass of orange juice. To top it off, there was a small vase with daisies.

"Okay, this is so ready for Papa. Go wake Laurel up," Cristina said. Iris ran off to her sister's bedroom and came back, dragging a half-asleep, crying Laurel, who did not seem too happy that she had been awakened.

"Awww, Laurel," Cristina said. The little girl came and buried her face on the front of Cristina's legs. "Let's just wash that face to wake you up." Cristina cleaned and washed her younger daughter's face. It worked as Laurel brightened up, immediately.

"Okay, I think we are ready now," Cristina said. "Do you have your confetti, girls?" Iris and Laurel nodded. "Okay, follow me."

Owen lay on the bed, awaiting the arrival of his family. He could hear them outside of the bedroom door. He shut his eyes, tightly. "Turn the knob, Iris," he heard Cristina say. There was a little struggle, as it seemed that both Laurel and Iris were trying to turn the knob. "She told me, Laurel, take your hand off the doorknob," Iris chided her sister. "Just open the door," Cristina said, in exasperation. Owen had to smile, even though he was pretending to be asleep.

With the door finally open, the two little girls burst into the bedroom. They threw their confetti over the "sleeping" Owen and screamed, "Happy Father's Day, Papa!" Owen "woke" up and rubbed his eyes. He acted totally surprised by all of the fanfare. "All of this for me," he said. "Thank you so much. Let me give you girls a hug." The two girls climbed into the bed and hugged and kissed their papa.

"The confetti was their idea. I wasn't too keen on it, given that I will have to clean it up with the vacuum. We have made you breakfast in bed," Cristina said, placing the bed tray over her husband's legs.

"I thought the confetti was a brilliant idea. What a wonderful breakfast," Owen said, checking out the meal. "Did you girls help?"

"Yes," Iris said, even though in reality, she didn't do much as Cristina did most of the work. All Iris did was arrange the daisies in the vase and pour the orange juice into a glass. Laurel said nothing because she knew she hadn't helped. At least her younger daughter was honest about it, Cristina thought. "It really looks good, Cristina," Owen said, smiling at his wife. He knew that his wife had actually made the breakfast, without much help from their children. "I just hope that it tastes good," she said. Owen took a forkful of eggs and bit into his buttered toast. "Scrumptious," he told her.

"I have a card for you," Iris said, handing over her hand-made card. Owen took the card from her and examined the drawing of himself on the front of the card. "That is a very good likeness, Iris," he said. "Good job." He then opened the card and looked at the drawing of his family and their signatures. He felt his eyes getting a little moist. Iris was alarmed when she saw the tears in his eyes.

"You don't like it, papa?" she asked. "I will do another one, if you want." She was ready to take the card and tear it up and start all over, again.

"No, no, baby. I love it very much. It is the best card I have ever received. Thank you so much," he said, giving her a hug. "Also, Laurel did a great job, writing her name." Laurel smiled, broadly. It had taken a lot of effort on her part to write her name, even though Mommy had been holding her hand to do it.

"We also got you a little present," Cristina said, handing over a small bag. He dug into the bag and pulled out a tan, leather wallet with his name on it. "Major Owen Hunt," he said. "You got it personalized." He noted that it was a designer wallet. He had to chuckle because he realized that he would be in the middle of the desert with a Ralph Lauren wallet.

"Yes, we thought that your old wallet was on its last legs. You have had it so long," she said. "Open it." He did as he was told and was touched to find that she had already included a brand new picture of herself and the girls. He could tell that it was professionally done and Cristina had taken the time to dress up the girls.

"Just something to remember us by when you go back," she said.

"It is a beautiful picture, Cristina. Thank you very much. Even though I have to tell you that I don't need pictures to remember my family. You are always in my heart," he said, pointing to his chest. She came to him and gave him a kiss on the lips. "Happy Father's Day, Owen."

"Okay, girls, let's get you breakfast and leave Papa to finish off his," she said. "I thought we could grill for lunch. You can do the meat and I will handle all of the sides. Is that okay with you?"

"Yup," he said. "I am up for that." Cristina gathered the two girls and they headed out of the bedroom. Owen continued to eat his breakfast and picked up the card, again and stared at it. How did he ever get so lucky, he thought.

* * *

After lunch in the backyard, everyone went down for a nap. They were all so full. The girls were each in their own rooms, fast asleep. Owen and Cristina lay on their bed, wrapped around each other. "So how is your first Father's Day?" she asked. "Were the kids a little too much for you?"

"Never. I loved everything. The card, the breakfast, the gift and the picture were all brilliant. I have enjoyed my Father's Day celebration very much," he said, happily. He had a wistful, faraway expression. "What was that look about?" she asked. "Why are you looking at me that way?"

"Maybe next year, this time, we will have added another baby to the brood," he said, rubbing her stomach. "Maybe we are already pregnant." He was very enthusiastic and his eyes were sparkling with hope.

Cristina wanted to temper his enthusiasm. "Owen, we may not get pregnant, this time. A lot of people try for months and months before they get pregnant. We only have this month before you go back." While it was true that she had conceived both Iris and Laurel, when Josh had been on leave, it didn't particularly mean that it was going to happen this time.

"I am confident that it is going to happen," he said. Cristina was suddenly very wary. She wondered if she should have even told him that she wasn't using birth control. In retrospect, it may have been a bad idea. How disappointed was he going to be if they weren't pregnant.

"It is going to be soooooo good," he continued. "Imagine you, me, the girls and the baby. We can change the last room into a nursery." He pulled her closer towards him, so he could kiss her lips. After their kiss, she rested her head on his chest. Their faces were a contrast – his was full of happiness and hope, hers was marked with worry.

* * *

**A/N Please leave your thoughts and comments. I do appreciate when readers take the time to do so. Happy Father's Day to all your dads.**


	16. Chapter 16 Farewell

**A/N Some mature content**

* * *

Owen had finished, taking care of the shrubs. He wiped the sweat from his forehead and stretched his back. Cristina came out of the house with a glass of cold lemonade. "Hey, you've done a good job with the shrubs, Owen," she said. "Usually, Paul helps me sometimes in the garden, when you are not here. Come to think of it, I haven't seen him, since the barbecue." Owen tried not to smile, when she said that, but inside, he was laughing, hysterically. He knew why Paul was not hanging around the Hunt household, anymore.

"Maybe he is a little busy or maybe he took a trip somewhere," Owen said. Cristina looked a little unsure about that. "Maybe," she replied. "But if he did, I would have thought he would have told me something. But never mind."

Owen drank the glass of lemonade in one gulp. "That is good lemonade," he said. "You should set up a stand and start selling to everyone in the neighborhood."

Cristina laughed. "I could do that when the kids are older," she responded.

Owen took off his t-shirt and wiped his chest. He was sweating so much. It was so hot. "Hmm," Cristina said, admiring her husband's well defined torso. "You are such an attractive man." She noticed the appreciative stares of the neighborhood women. "Even all of the neighbors are noticing that. I am glad that you are mine."

"Thank you, wife," he said. "But you are the only one I care about to look at me that way." He gave her a kiss. She could taste the sweet tartness of the lemonade on his lips.

"That is really good lemonade," she said. "Are you ready to go inside?" He nodded, as they walked back into the house. Iris and Laurel were helping their mother bake cookies, even though there was more flour on the two of them and on the floor than there was in their mixing bowls.

"Cookies, Papa. We are making cookies," Laurel said. There was a tell-tale chocolate ring around her mouth, an indication that she had been eating the chocolate chips for the cookies.

"Laurel," Cristina said. "You have been eating the chocolate chips. If you eat them all, we won't have any to put on the cookies." Laurel smiled, sheepishly, while Iris gave her younger sister a disapproving look. Cristina checked the cookie dough in their mixing bowls and told them that it looked like it was ready to be placed on the baking trays.

As Owen watched his wife and his daughters get on with their cookie-making, he was overcome by a feeling of great joy. Sadly, though, he knew his time at home was soon coming to an end. In fact, he only had a few days left. This was the best vacation break he had ever had. For the time, he had forgotten that he was in the army and imagined himself as just another suburban husband and father. In a couple of days, he would be feeling the dry heat of the desert of his back and he would be far, far away from this picture of domestic bliss.

* * *

It was the day before Owen was going to leave to go back to Iraq. He was going to leave at 7 a.m. in the morning. The family had spent the day together at the beach, having a picnic and playing in the water. It had been a warm, wonderful sunny day. Everyone said they had the best day ever. Since they knew that Owen had to leave in the morning, everyone went to bed early so they would be able to get up the next day to say goodbye.

Cristina and Owen lay on their bed, with his arms wrapped around her. Their breathing was in sync, as they quietly just lay there, listening to the other person breathe. The silence was broken by the sound of a soft sob from Cristina.

"Hey, what's the matter?" he asked. "Are you okay, Cristina?" He gave her a light kiss on her forehead, as he ran his fingers through her lush locks.

"It's our last time we are going to be sleeping together in this bed for a long time," she said between sobs.

"Aw, Cristina, you know that I made a commitment to serve our country," he said.

She buried her face into his chest. "I know," she said. "But that doesn't mean it doesn't hurt any less. Sometimes, it sucks to be an army wife. You spend so much time away from us. I get so lonely without you."

He kissed the top of her head and pulled up her up, so he could kiss away her tears. Then their lips met, their tongues and they started tearing off each other's clothes. "Oh, God, I want you so bad," he whispered between kisses. Soon, they were both bare and found themselves, staring deeply into the other's eyes.

"Enter me, now. I want to feel you inside of me," she said, her voice a little hoarse with desire.

There was little fanfare, as he penetrated her. His thrusts were hard and fast, just the way she liked it. She closed her eyes, savoring the feel of him inside of her. It was probably the last time they were going to make love for a long while and she wanted to remember it. She opened her eyes and was struck by the way he looked at her. She was certain she could see the love for her in his eyes. Their bodies moved together in such an easy rhythm, that it almost felt like they were one entity. When she came, he could feel her walls tightening around him and her body shuddering with pleasure. He smiled because it always pleased him that he could move her to ecstasy. It was more important to him than his own orgasm. When he finally came, it was with a deep groan and a sharp gasp. It was sweet release.

"Thank you," she said.

"No," he answered. "Thank you." As they lay together, she wrapped her arms and legs around him, like a little monkey, holding him close to her. "I never want to let you go," she said. "I know I must, but I don't want to do so."

"Yeah, me too," he said. "I will think about you, every day, while I am over there."

"You better had," she said, with a laugh. "Because I will be thinking about you, every day."

"Cristina, I have a confession to make," he said. He decided that he was going to come clean about Paul. He didn't want her to think that it was her fault that Paul was not coming around as before. He lifted his head to look at her. "It's about Paul."

"Paul?" she queried. He nodded. "There's a reason he hasn't been around, lately," he said. "I had a little chat with him. Paul had ulterior motives and I needed to protect what was mine."

Cristina gave him the most incredulous look. "What? How do you know that?"

"He didn't deny it, when I confronted him," Owen told her.

"So did you threaten him?" she asked. "I do have to face him every day when I go back to work at the school in the fall."

"No, not really," Owen said. "I just told him that I knew what he was doing and to stop trying to be a husband to my wife, especially since his own wife was serving our country."

"Oh, now I get it, why he left the barbecue, so swiftly," she said.

"Are you mad?" he asked. She shook her head. "No, you were just looking out for our family," she responded. He laid his head against her and listened to her heart.

"Cristina, knowing that you and the girls are waiting her for me is what keeps me going across there," he told her. "Amidst all of the death, injuries and sadness, just knowing you are here makes me feel better."

"You're doing noble work across there," she said. "But as sad and as hard as it is for me and the girls to have you gone, we understand the sacrifice of what military families go through. We may not like it all that much but we understand."

"Just know my heart is always with you, wherever I am," he said. She nodded and said softly, "I know."

* * *

It was very early when everyone got up. Owen's bag was already packed from the day before, so they left the house to grab breakfast at the closest IHOP before they headed to the airfield where Owen was to pick up his transport back to Iraq.

"So I guess this is it," Owen said, his eyes were already wet with tears. As if on cue, the two little girls grabbed on to his legs and started crying. He picked up Laurel and gave her a kiss and a hug. He told her to have a good time at pre-school and to be a good girl for her mom. He put her down and picked up Iris, who wrapped her tiny arms around her papa's neck.

"Be good, Iris. Take care of your sister and I want to keep hearing those great reports from school about how well you are doing," he said. "Help mom around the house, too." He wiped her tears away before he put her down. He opened his arms for his wife and she ran into them, hugging him tightly.

"Goodbye, Cristina," he said. "I love you more than anything else in the world." She sniffled, as she rested her head against her husband's shoulders. The tears were coming down her face.

"I love you, too, Owen. You have to remember that you have to come back to me," she said, looking up at him. He took her face into his hands and kissed her, deeply. It was like it was just the two of them, even though there were hundreds of families around them, saying goodbye to their loved ones. Their kiss was only broken by the sound of someone, advising the soldiers that they should get on board. With a final kiss, he turned and walked away, looking back several times at his family.

* * *

Cristina and the children went back home. It was a quiet drive back.

The girls were tired, since they had gotten up at an hour that was earlier than they normally did, so they went back to sleep, as soon they got back to the house. Cristina sat in her kitchen, drinking a cup of coffee. She couldn't believe how empty the place felt without her husband. She had him for one whole month and now, she and the children were going to face months without him. She wasn't kidding when she said it sucked to be an army wife, sometimes. She went to the living room and looked at a picture of her husband and touched his face.

* * *

Somewhere over the ocean, Owen had taken out his new Ralph Lauren wallet and opened it to look at the picture of his family. "Nice wallet," the guy next to him said. Owen laughed. "Yeah, I got it for Father's Day," he told him. "My wife had it personalized with my name, so there is no chance I will lose it in the desert."

"So you got kids?" the man said. "Me, too. So hard to leave them behind."

"You know it," Owen said. They both shared pictures of their families with each other, each admiring the other's family.

"I see you got two girls. Are you going to add anymore?" the man asked. "A little boy you can play ball with?"

"Well, we were trying for another one," Owen said. "I guess we will know in a couple of weeks if we were successful. But it doesn't matter if we get a girl, again." He tucked away the picture of his family in his wallet and put his wallet away. "Yeah, in a couple of weeks," he repeated to himself.

* * *

The phone rang and Cristina ran to get it. She didn't want the ringing to wake the children. "Hello," she said, breathlessly.

"Cristina, are you running?" she heard Bertha's voice say. "You sound so out of breath."

"Bertha, how are you?" Cristina said. "How's dad?" She said it with a bit of trepidation, given the state of her father's health.

"He's taken a turn for the worse, Cristina. I think you and the girls should get here as soon as possible," Bertha said. "He wants to see you, one last time."

"Oh, God," Cristina said. "Okay, we will leave as soon as possible. Thank you, Bertha, for calling. Goodbye." She hung up the phone and then, fell to the ground and wept.

* * *

**A/N Please leave your thoughts and comments. I do appreciate when you take the time to do so.**


	17. Chapter 17 Final Goodbye

Cristina rushed into her father's house, as soon as Bertha opened the door. She gave the housekeeper a quick hug before she said, "Where is he?"

"He's upstairs in the master bedroom," Bertha said. "And before you ask me why isn't he at the hospital, he told the doctor that he preferred to die at home. You go upstairs. He has been waiting for you." Cristina ran up the stairs, followed her two tiny daughters. She opened the door to her dad's bedroom and bolted into the room.

"Dad, dad," she said, running to the bed. Her father opened his eyes and put out his arms. She sat on the side of the bed and lay in his arms. She was a mix of emotions. She was glad that she got there in time before her father died and sad that he was going to die. Her tears flowed freely, while her dad stroked her thick, unruly curls.

"Cristina, baby," Harold said. "So glad you came. And the kiddies, too?" His voice was weak and a little hoarse, Cristina noted. He patted the bed, so the girls could climb in and give him a hug. "My pretty grandbabies." He also stroked their curly hair, so similar to his daughter's.

Everyone lay there on the bed and it was only when Cristina turned her head, she noticed her step-mother sitting quietly in an armchair in a corner. Beatrice looked distraught and was dabbing her yees with tissue. Cristina raised her head. "Sorry, Beatrice, I didn't see you there. How are you?"

"As well as can be expected, given the circumstances. He refuses to go to the hospital," Beatrice said.

"For what, Bea? For them to keep reviving me over and over again, every time I go. I don't want that. I want to go on my own terms. And now that Cristina and the children are here, my heart is full with joy. I am ready," he said. When he said that, Beatrice burst into tears. At that moment, Cristina was acutely aware of how much her step-mother loved her father.

"Dad, don't talk like that," Cristina said. He raised his hand. "I am just being honest. I know what my odds are and I am okay with that," he told his daughter.

"Dad, I am going to leave you for a bit. I am just going to get the girls settled in their room," she said. She got up from the bed and took the hand of each little girl.

"Is Owen with you?" Harold asked. She turned around. "Um, no. He went back to Iraq, yesterday. So it is just the girls and me," she said.

"Oh," Harold said. Without Owen to comfort and console her, Harold knew that his death would be even harder on his only daughter. "Get the girls settled and come by, a little later. I think I am going to take a nap," he said. Cristina nodded and left.

She took the girls to their room and went to her old bedroom. She hadn't stayed here the last time she and Owen were here. They had stayed in the larger guest room. She lay on the twin-sized bed and looked around the room. It was interesting that her father had never changed the room. It still felt like a teenager lived there. There were posters of her favorite music stars, as well as her academic trophies. Her college pennant was on the wall. It was like taking a trip back in time. On the bedside table were pictures of her teenaged self and her dad. They both look so much younger, she thought. There was also a picture of her mom. As Cristina stared at the ceiling, she laughed when she saw a pencil she had thrown up there as a teenager, was still stuck there.

There was a small knock on the door. "Come in," she said. Bertha stuck in her head. "Are you staying in here? I thought you would stay in the guest room, like you did the last time."

"It's okay, Bertha," she said. "I am fine in here. Just reminiscing about the good old days." Bertha looked around the room.

"Your dad didn't want to change anything in it. Even after you moved away, when you had the baby and got married," Bertha said. "I think he always wanted to remember you as his little girl. No matter how many times Miss Beatrice wanted to take apart this room, he would never let her."

"Well, I guess she could do it, after he passes," Cristina said. They were both silent. It was hard to think that Dr. Yang was going to die, soon.

"So, how is Major Hunt?" Bertha asked. "I see he didn't come with you."

"Oh, Owen went back to Iraq, yesterday. I sent him an email that the girls and I were going to South Carolina, since Dad had taken a turn for the worse," Cristina said. "It's okay though, Bertha, we will be fine. I am used to being alone." Bertha shook her head. She couldn't imagine what it would be like to be a military wife. Her husband, Oswald, was not the most thoughtful of men, but he was always there whenever she needed him.

"Well, okay, then," Bertha said. "You and the girls can come down in a bit. I will be done with lunch, soon."

"Okay, Bertha, thank you very much," Cristina said. Bertha closed the door, allowing Cristina to reminisce some more.

* * *

Over the next few days, Cristina and the girls spent as much time with Harold as possible. They could only do it whenever he was up to it. Other times, they just let him rest. He had a nurse, Agnes, who stayed with him in the room during the night. It was the nurse, who came in the middle of the night, to wake Cristina. It was a sharp knock at the door that awoke Cristina. She was still groggy when she got up from the bed to answer it. She immediately became awake when she saw it was Agnes. "Dad?" she asked, fearfully. Agnes nodded.

Cristina ran down to the corridor to her father's room. Beatrice and her father's doctor, Dr. Watkins, were already there. Her father looked weak and pale on the bed. His breathing was labored and short. "Cris?" he said. She ran to him and gave him her hand to hold.

"I am ready," he said, softly. With a soft gasp, her father closed his eyes and was gone. Beatrice let out a wail, while Cristina silently cried. The doctor checked his vitals and nodded. Dr. Harold Yang had indeed passed.

* * *

Beatrice was a total wreck over the next few days, as Cristina was forced to take care of all of the funeral arrangements. She even wrote the obituary for her father for the local newspaper. The funeral service was to take place at the church which she attended as a teenager. At the funeral, Cristina saw so many people that she used to know. Many of her classmates from high school attended. Josh's parents were also there. Then, there were all of her dad's patients and their families. Also, his fellow medical colleagues were in attendance. The neighbors, too, came out in full force. The church was full. Cristina was pleased that so many had come out to honor her father. Beatrice could not stop crying throughout the ceremony. Cristina felt sorry for her step-mother because she understood how much she was grieving. She felt the same way.

Cristina delivered the eulogy. Her voice shook at times but she held back the tears to be able to get through it. She was sure that her father would have been proud of her.

At the funeral, after they lowered the body to the ground, she threw two white roses on top of the casket. She still had two white roses left but they were not for her father but for her first husband. As the crowd left the cemetery, Cristina, Iris and Laurel walked to Josh's grave. His headstone was simple, just as he was. It said his name Joshua Daniels, the day he was born and the day he died. Underneath that were the words: "Husband, Father, Son, Soldier."

She placed the white roses on the grave. Iris placed her bouquet of irises, while Laurel put a bouquet of laurels. "Hey, Josh," Cristina said. "It has been a long time since I have visited you. Sorry about that. It's just that we don't live around here." The girls fidgeted a little, as their mother spoke to their father's grave.

"So I brought Laurel and Iris with me. They are both getting really big. Laurel starts pre-school in the fall and Iris is continuing at the school of the gifted. I also got married. You already know him because you sent him to us. Major Owen Hunt. He is a good man, Josh. He took care of us, when we needed him. Thank you for sending him to us. He loves me and the children and we love him, too. But you will always occupy a special place in my heart. You were my first love and you gave me these beautiful girls. I will always love you.

"So my dad is gone, now. He and you never got on too well. But I think it is okay, now. He told me that you were a good man and that you loved me very much. He said he was wrong about you. I wished you would have been here to hear that because you were always trying to seek his approval. Hey, maybe you guys will meet on the other side and he can tell you himself. I am going to imagine that happening. It would make me very happy.

"So, Josh, the girls and I are thinking about you. Hope you're playing your guitar in heaven for us. Bye. Say bye to daddy, girls."

"Bye, Daddy," the little girls said. She took their hands and took them back to the house in the limo. The house was quiet. She put on the computer and waited for Owen to call. She eagerly answered when she heard the call. She answered immediately. "Hey, I know it is late there. Thanks for calling."

"How was it?" he asked, softly.

"Sad," she answered. "A lot of people came. People I haven't seen in years. I delivered the eulogy. I didn't cry, so I think I did well. Admittedly, my voice shook a couple of times but I didn't collapse into a weeping mess."

"Good," Owen said. "Where are the girls?"

"Resting, they are tuckered out from the church service and the funeral. We also visited Josh's grave and put flowers on it," she said. "I told him all about you and how he had sent you to us and I thanked him."

"Yeah, I am glad that he did. He gave me a gift," he said. "So how are you coping?"

"Alright, I guess. I expected this, so I guess the blow was not as hard as it would have been if he had died, suddenly. Beatrice is taking it really hard," Cristina said. "I told you that she loved him very much."

"That you did," Owen said. "So when are you going back home?"

"Probably, tomorrow. Dad's lawyer is coming this evening to play us a copy of Dad's will. Apparently, dad did a recording. It is just going to be Beatrice, Bertha and me there. I don't know what Dad has in his estate but I am pretty sure that Beatrice is probably going to get most of it," she said. Owen knew exactly what was in her father's will but it wasn't his place to say anything.

"Yeah, he gets here in 30 minutes," she said. "I am going to change out of this black dress and maybe wear something a lot lighter." Owen knew that Cristina was totally unaware of what her father was leaving for her in his will.

Deep down, he knew he had some trepidation. If Cristina was financially secure as he knew she was going to be, would she have thoughts of going her own way? It was his greatest fear that he could lose his family but he had to trust that she loved him and would want to stay.

"You know I love you?" he said.

"Of course. I love you, too, Owen," she said. "Well, I've got to go and change out of these clothes before the lawyer arrives. Talk to you, tomorrow. Get some sleep. Bye, Owen."

"Bye, Cristina," he said, as he hung up. He lay on his bed, hoping that his wife loved him as much as he loved her.

* * *

**A/N Please leave your thoughts and comments. I do appreciate when you take the time to do so. It helps to spur me on to write. Thanks.**


	18. Chapter 18 The Will

Cristina was totally stunned, when she emerged from her father's study. She was speechless at the reading of her father's will. Equally shocked were Beatrice and Bertha.

Her father's attorney, George Loverton, had played a dvd of her father reading out the provisions of his will. Cristina was overjoyed to see her father looking so well on the DVD. It was clearly done before his illness had ravaged him. This was the way she really wanted to remember her father – energetic and full of life.

He made a few jokes before he started the nitty-gritty details of the will. He told both Beatrice and Cristina how much he loved them and wanted to provide for them. He thanked Bertha for her years of dedicated service for the family and how she had stepped in the early days, when they first moved to South Carolina, to be a strong female figure for Cristina. Cristina reached over and squeezed Bertha's hand, as the housekeeper wiped away a tear.

"So here we go," Harold said. "What am I leaving for all of you. Let's start with Bertha. Bertha, I am going to leave you a lump sum of $250,000." Bertha's mouth dropped open. She had never had so much money in her life, before. Oswald, her husband, was probably going to faint.

"I am guessing, Bertha, that you are probably shocked. But it is a measure of my gratitude for you," Harold said.

He continued, "My lovely wife, Beatrice, you have always loved this house. It is yours to enjoy. Also, I am going to ensure that the estate pays you a generous stipend every month for your upkeep and the maintenance of the property. The two vehicles are also yours. You can choose to keep or dispose of them, however you wish. In addition, my one million dollar insurance policy will be paid out to you." Beatrice dabbed a tear away.

"As for my beloved Cristina, I think you should know you were always the light of my life. You brought me so much joy from the day you were born. Yes, we have had our bad times but through all of it, I always loved my little girl. To you, Cristina, I leave the sum of $5 million," Harold said, with a smile.

There was a gasp from all three women. None of them knew that Dr Yang had so much money. Mr. Loverton expected this. "Dr. Yang had a lucrative practice in California, which he sold for quite a bit of money. Plus he was a very savvy investor," he said in explanation. "He also sold his practice here in South Carolina, when he got ill."

Harold continued on the DVD, "I guess you are a little bit shocked by that, Cristina. In any case, I have not forgotten my grandbabies. Both Iris and Laurel will each receive $750,000 to be held in trust until they turn 18 years old. All interest accumulated will also be paid out to them. If you have any more children, Cristina, I have put aside similar amounts for their well being."

"I guess that is all," Harold ended. "Even though I am now gone, all I wish is for you to be happy. I love you all." There was a silence in the room, as no one knew quite what to say. Cristina did not even know her father had that much money. The lawyer cleared his throat. "We will be moving ahead as quickly as we can to ensure that Dr. Yang's wishes be carried out. There will be documents to be signed and the firm will be in contact with all of you." Everyone nodded, as they got up to leave the study. Cristina went to her daughters' room and watched them sleep. Cristina lay down next to Iris, who felt the sudden shift of weight in the bed. Iris opened her eyes, "Mommy?"

"Yes, baby," she said. Iris snuggled against her mother. "Are we going home, tomorrow?" Iris asked.

"Yes," Cristina said. "We are going back home to California."

"I am glad. I like our house in California on the army base," Iris said. "Can we talk to Papa, tomorrow?"

"Absolutely," her mother said. "I have lots to tell him."

* * *

They returned home the next day. Everyone hugged Bertha, as usual. Cristina asked her stepmother if it was alright to give her a hug. Beatrice looked surprised but she smiled and nodded. Cristina noted how much the smile had softened her stepmother's face. The two women hugged – the first time they had ever done so. Cristina never forced her children to hug or kiss anyone in her life because she always felt that it would be their choice if they wished to do so. The children, on seeing their mother hug Miss Beatrice, came forward on their own, and offered her light kisses on her cheek. Beatrice told the girls, "Thank you."

As the taxi to the airport drove them away, the three of them turned around and waved to Bertha and Beatrice. For the first time, since Beatrice had come to into her father's life, Cristina felt no bitterness towards the woman. It was sad, though, that it took her father's death for that to happen. When they arrived back in California, Cristina put on the computer, immediately. She knew Owen would be calling. She had managed to get in a shower and to unpack everyone's things before she heard the call on the computer.

"Papa's calling," screamed Laurel, rushing to the computer. The two little girls were there in a flash, before Cristina even got there. Iris answered the call. "Papa," they both shrieked.

"Hey, baby girls!" Owen said. "I have been missing you two soooo much. Give me a smooch." Both girls kissed the computer screen. Owen and the girls continued to chat, while Cristina waited off screen for them to finish their conversation.

"Where is Mommy?" he asked. "I need to speak to Mommy." Iris ran across to her mother and dragged her in front of the computer. "Ah, there you are, my love," he said. "Iris, can you take Laurel to your room and play with her? I need to talk to Mommy about important stuff."

Iris nodded. "Bye, papa. Talk to you soon," she said. Laurel may have been saying the same thing but her words came out in a mumble. "Bye, babies," Owen said.

When the girls were out of earshot, he said, "So how was it?"

"The reading of the will? It was interesting, to say the least. I loved that Dad left it on a DVD. It was so good to see him, looking so well and happy," she said. "That was the best part for me. As for the rest, I was a little shocked. So were Beatrice and Bertha, too. None of us, it seemed, was aware of what was in my father's estate." Owen nodded.

"He left me $5 million. I was completely dumbfounded," she said. Owen, too, was shocked at the amount. "Five million?"

"That's not all," she said. "The girls each got $750,000 plus any interest that will be held in trust until they turn 18. Plus he also left similar amounts for any baby you and I might have." She clutched at her stomach, when she mentioned the baby. At this point, she didn't even know if she had a baby in there.

"That is very generous of your father," Owen said. He had a fair idea of what was in the will but he was not aware of the actual dollar amounts. "So what are you going to do with it?" he asked, tentatively. He desperately wanted to hear his wife's answer to this question.

"I guess we can save and invest it. Maybe, we can buy a house of our own and we can settle down somewhere and you can be with us, all of the time," she said. Owen heard the wistfulness in his wife's voice. Settling down somewhere meant having permanent roots and that probably would mean that he would have to leave the army. He hadn't really thought about leaving the army though the pull of being with his family on a full-time basis was becoming ever stronger.

"Yeah, maybe," he said. "We can think about doing that."

"You mean it?" she asked. He nodded. She looked so happy, he thought. It was good that she was thinking about their future, together. It meant that she wanted to stay with him, despite the fact her inheritance had made her a millionaire. She loved him and he felt comforted by that.

"So when do you think that we will know about the baby?" he asked.

"I am going to wait to see whether my period will come," she said. "If it doesn't, then that is a good sign. I already bought the pregnancy test kits. Two different kinds, so we can be sure about it."

"So, soon," he asked. "Yes," she answered. They both stared at each other, without saying anything. They both wanted this so badly, especially since they knew that it would be months before they could see each other again.

"I better go, now," he said. "I have to check on some of my post-op patients."

"Okay," she replied. "I love you."

"I love you more," he told her. He put up his hand to do a small wave and then he hung up.

* * *

She knew exactly when her period would come. She was always on time so when her period did not come, she started to get excited. But she could be a little late, she told herself, trying to temper her excitement. Another day passed and another and another. Still, there was no sign of her period. She waited a full two weeks before she even broke the seal of the pregnancy test kits.

"So here goes nothing," she said, peeing on the two sticks. She laid down the sticks on a piece of tissue paper on the counter. "Come on, come on."

"Mommy," she heard Laurel's voice from the other side of the bathroom door. "Open the door. I want to come in." Cristina opened the door for the three-year-old to enter. "Whatcha doing?" the tiny girl asked, looking around the bathroom. "What are those sticks?" She stood on tiptoe to peer above the counter.

"Um, just checking something, Laurel," she said, sitting on the edge of the tub.

"So we are just going to sit here and wait?" Laurel said, as she climbed up on Cristina's lap.

"Yes, we are," Cristina said, checking her watch. Mother and daughter waited patiently. Cristina checked her watch, again. It was time. She took a deep breath and picked up the first stick. There were two pink lines. She almost couldn't believe it, so she picked up the second stick. It was even clearer. The word, "PREGNANT" was in the window. A tear rolled down her cheek; she was so happy for herself and Owen.

"Why are you crying, Mommy?" Laurel asked, touching her mom's face.

"Oh, Laurel, you are going to be a big sister. We are going to have a baby," she told the little girl.

Laurel's green eyes opened wide. "A baby!" She could hardly imagine it. For all of her three years of life on earth, she was always the little sister. Now there was going to be someone else, littler than her.

Cristina wiped her tears and shrieked. "I can't wait to tell him." She took Laurel off her lap and ran to get her phone. She took pictures of the two sticks and sent them in an email to her husband with one word, "Yes."

In less than three minutes, she got a reply from him. "We're pregnant! So, so happy. Going into surgery. Will call you."

She was so elated that all she wanted to do was dance around the house. She turned on the music and told Laurel, "Let's dance." The two of them were dancing away in the living room when Iris came out of her room, wondering what was going on.

"Why are you dancing, mommy?" she shouted over the loud music.

"Baby, Iris. We are having a baby," Cristina told her. Iris' green eyes were as wide as her sister's were earlier.

"A new baby!" she shrieked, jumping up and down. She started to dance, too. Mother and daughters totally danced it out.

* * *

**A/N Please leave your thoughts and comments. Thanks for leaving your reviews. I really appreciate them.**


	19. Chapter 19 Alone

Cristina sat nervously in the obstetrician's waiting room. She wasn't anxious. She just felt she had a lot of nervous energy. She had dropped off the girls at her friend, Denise's house. Denise had recommended this ob/gyn because this was the person who had delivered her four children.

"Mrs. Hunt?" the receptionist called out. Cristina gratefully got up from her seat. She was glad she was finally going to see the doctor. The receptionist told her to go to Exam Room 2 and to change into the gown. Cristina groaned. She hated those gowns with the open back. She always felt vulnerable in them.

She got to Exam Room 2, carefully hung up her clothes before changing into the gown. She hopped up on top of the examining table and waited. She didn't have to wait too long before Dr. Elsie Ratner came in. She was an older woman with grey streaks in her brown hair. There was something comforting about her, Cristina thought. She really liked that.

"Good morning, Mrs…..Hunt," Dr. Ratner said, checking the information sheet that Cristina filled out. "I am Dr. Ratner. May I call you Cristina?"

"Yes," Cristina said. "That's fine.

"So you're pregnant. Your urine test was positive," the doctor said.

"Yes, I already knew that," Cristina said. "I found that out two weeks ago when I did my home test. I waited two weeks to get this appointment with you because my friend, Denise Marshall, recommended you. I am probably around eight weeks, now."

"Ah, Denise Marshall. Yes, I delivered all four of her babies," Dr. Ratner said. "It says here that you already had two viable pregnancies. That is a good sign. So you are an army wife like Denise?"

"Yes, my husband is a surgeon deployed in Iraq," Cristina answered.

"Yes, I always admire these young men and women who are serving our country," Dr. Ratner said. "Okay, would you please lie back on the table? Time to check you and the most exciting part of it is we can look at the babies on the ultrasound. They don't look like much right now but we will be able to still see him or her. So what did you have before?"

"Two girls, Iris and Laurel. Iris is five and Laurel is three," Cristina said.

"So you're hoping for a boy, this time?" Dr. Ratner asked.

Cristina nodded. "Well, it would be great, if we have a boy. I always imagine my husband wanting to go fishing or playing baseball with a boy. But if we don't, that's okay, too. Owen and I have discussed it, already. He says if we have a boy, that would be wonderful but it would just be as wonderful if we had a girl. Our two girls are amazing and beautiful."

"Ah, that is a good attitude to have," Dr. Ratner said. "I have had couples who were so sure that they were having one thing and then, they find out that they are having the other. Sometimes, the disappointment is great."

"Not Owen and me. We just want a happy, healthy baby," Cristina said. Dr. Ratner nodded and smiled.

"So we are going to check your babies with the ultrasound," Dr. Ratner said, rubbing the gel on Cristina's belly. "You are an old pro at this, by now." She ran the wand over Cristina's stomach.

"Oh my, what do we have here?" the doctor continued. "Do you see what I am seeing?" Cristina blinked, staring at the image. She was certainly seeing what the doctor was seeing. There were two sacs in the uterus.

"Twins?" she ventured, a little unsure.

"Yes," Dr. Ratner said. "You are having twins. Everything is looking just right for this stage of the pregnancy. That is just wonderful, Mrs. Hunt. Okay, I am just going to print this out for you, so you can show your husband, when next you talk to him."

"Uh, okay," Cristina said. As much as she was happy that she was having twins, she was just as sad. Owen was supposed to be here with her to witness this moment, she thought. Suddenly, she felt all alone. She knew exactly why. When she was having her two babies, her father had been there for her, while Josh was away. Even though he had been angry as hell about her first pregnancy, Harold had always been with her, right up to the birth, since Josh was not there for Iris' birth. He continued to help and support her, when she was having Laurel. Now, her father was no longer there for her, anymore. She was going to go through this entire pregnancy alone without a support system.

"So we will start you up on your pre-natal vitamins and set up regular appointments to make sure that you have a healthy and safe pregnancy," Dr. Ratner said. "We will also schedule blood tests to rule out gestational diabetes. I am sure we are going to have a wonderful pregnancy and in 36 or 37 weeks, we are going to welcome two lovely babies for you. Thirty six weeks is considered full term for twins." Cristina gave her a weak smile.

* * *

After her appointment, she drove to Denise's house and picked up the children. Cristina listened to their excited chatter in the back seat. When they got home, she unbuckled them and they both ran into the house, screaming and laughing. She put on the computer and awaited Owen's call. She gave snacks to the girls and they disappeared into Iris' room to watch cartoons.

As soon as the call signal started, she answered it, almost immediately. "Hey," Owen said. "How are you doing? Feeling okay?" She nodded. He found her strangely subdued.

"Hey, what's the matter? How did it go at the doctor's?" he asked, anxiously. He wondered if something was wrong with the pregnancy for her to be acting, so strangely.

"Fine, I guess. She said that things were looking good. We also did an ultrasound," she said. She found her purse and dug into it for the ultrasound print-out.

"What do you see?" she asked, holding up the ultrasound to the camera.

Owen stared at it and he could clearly see the two sacs. "Two? Twins?" he said, excitedly.

"Yup," she replied. "I will take a picture of it and send it to you." He was beyond himself with joy, yet Cristina still did not seem too happy.

"Is something the matter?" he asked. "This is the greatest news ever but you don't seem to be as excited as I am."

"Oh, I am happy that we are having twins," she said. "It's just that I will be alone during this pregnancy." Owen could feel how his wife was feeling down. He wished he could reach over the miles and hold her in his arms.

"When I had the girls, I still had my dad," she reminded him. "Now, he is gone and I don't have anybody." She looked and sounded so forlorn.

"Cristina, if I could be there, I would be there in an instant," he said, hoping to comfort her.

"I know that, Owen," she said. "The circumstances can't be helped. I guess I am going to send you a copy of the ultrasound so you can have it with you. I am going now."

"Okay, Cristina. Bye. I love you so much," he said. As he hung up, he just wished there was so much more he could do for her.

She took a picture of the ultrasound and immediately emailed it to him. Over in Iraq, Owen stared at the ultrasound, intently. There could not be a happier man alive, he thought, but his elation was tinged with a little bit of sadness because of Cristina.

Back in California, Cristina lay on the couch, feeling more than a bit sorry for herself. Her friend, Denise, was great but with four children, she had very little time to spare for anybody else. Bertha and Beatrice lived on the other side of the country. She really was going to have to do this alone. She wanted to cry. "Damn these pregnancy hormones," she said, as her tears rolled down her face. She was feeling much more emotional and sensitive than she would normally would.

When her tears subsided, she closed her eyes and promptly fell asleep. She was probably asleep for maybe little more than half-an-hour, when a knock on the door stirred her awake. The knocking was frantic and urgent.

"Hold your horses," she said. "I am coming." She opened the door to reveal a harried-looking Paul Madison and his daughter, Tamara. She was very surprised. She had not seen Paul since early June, not since the barbecue in her backyard. Not since Owen had shooed him off with a few choice words.

"Paul, what's the matter?" she asked, eyeing his haggard expression. He looked terrible, she thought.

"Cristina, I need for you to do me a huge favor," he said. "Can you take Tamara for about two weeks?"

"Sure, what happened?" she asked. She knew it had to be serious for Paul to ask her to take Tamara.

"My mom – she got a stroke," Paul said. "I have to go to Portland to see about getting her into a nursing home, where they will be able to take care of her, properly. I also have to see about getting her affairs in order. Probably would need to get her house rented out, so that it would help with the nursing home payments. I would have to do a lot of running around and I wouldn't be able to take care of Tamara at the same time. That's why I am asking this favor."

Cristina gasped. "I am so sorry, Paul," she said. "But of course, I will take Tamara. Iris would love to have her here." She took Tamara's bag from Paul. "Go on, Tamara. Iris is in her room." The blonde girl took off and ran to Iris' room.

"Come on in, Paul, I will make you a cup of coffee. I am sure you're heading to the airport, soon," she said. "Relax for a little bit." Paul nodded. Cristina disappeared into the kitchen and returned with only one hot cup of coffee. He wondered why she didn't make one for herself.

"Thank you so much, Cristina, for everything," Paul said. "I am eternally grateful. Oh heck, where are my manners? I forgot to ask you how you were." Cristina debated internally whether to tell him about her pregnancy but she figured that Iris would probably tell Tamara anyway.

"I am pregnant, Paul. With twins," she said.

Paul's mouth dropped open. "Wow," he said. "Just wow. Now I get why you didn't make coffee for yourself. Major Hunt must be very happy."

"Yes, he is," Cristina said, a little softly. Paul noticed the strangeness in her tone.

"Is something wrong, Cristina?" he asked. "You don't seem quite like yourself."

"It's nothing, Paul," she said. She needn't go into all of the details of how she was feeling, she thought. It would just seem too stupid to him.

"Oh, okay," he said but he was not convinced. "So, um, Cristina, since you are doing me a huge favor, I just want you to know if there is anything I can do to help you out with the kids, I will be available. I know it must be difficult to be having twins and your husband being away. So, anything you need me to do, I can help."

"Thanks, Paul. It is very kind of you," she said. She knew that Owen had said that Paul had ulterior motives and that's why they had their little chat at the barbecue. But Cristina felt that Paul was being genuine, when he made this offer.

And at this moment, with Paul smiling at her, Cristina felt a little bit better. Maybe Owen had been wrong about Paul. He had always been kind to her and the girls. He wouldn't have any ulterior motives, now, since she was pregnant and with twins, too. She needed a friend, right now. She was feeling lonely and vulnerable. All she wanted was someone she could talk to and who would listen to her. Cristina smiled back at him.

* * *

**A/N Please leave your thoughts and comments. I do appreciate when you take the time to leave your reviews. Happy 4th July to all of my American friends. Hope you have a fun day of barbecue and fireworks!**


	20. Chapter 20 What to do about Paul?

Cristina's life was full, handling three girls and being pregnant at the same time. Tamara wasn't much trouble, she had to admit. The blonde girl spent most of her time with the other girls and minded what Cristina said. This was the perfect adult-child relationship, Cristina thought.

Paul called everyday to talk to Tamara and Cristina, too. He reported that his mother was certainly not well but he had managed to secure a place for her at a nursing home. He had cleaned out her house and was working with a realtor to find a tenant. So far, it was going as well as it could be, he told Cristina. He thanked her every day for taking care of Tamara. She told him that he would have done the same thing for her.

The first time that Owen realized that Tamara was staying at their house was when he saw a flash of blonde hair across his computer screen, when he was speaking to Cristina.

"Who was that?" he asked. He knew neither of his daughters had blonde hair, since they had both inherited their mother's dark curls. "That blonde girl that just passed behind you?"

"Oh, that's Tamara Madison," Cristina said. Owen's hairs on his arms stood on end at the mention of the last name of Madison. That was Paul's daughter. He did not have anything against the child but he was not comfortable about her father.

"Is she there on a play date with Iris and Laurel?" he asked. Cristina shook her head and explained that Tamara was staying at their house for two weeks.

"Paul's mother had a stroke and he had to go to Portland to see about her affairs and to get her into a nursing home," she said. "He said he wouldn't have the time to take care of Tamara and had asked if she could stay with us. I couldn't very well say no, since they were in desperate need."

"No, you couldn't," Owen said. But then again, he thought, it was certainly a way for Paul to make his way back into Cristina's life. It was something he had to keep a watchful eye on, before it got out of hand.

* * *

When Paul returned from Oregon, he thanked Cristina profusely and brought her a large bouquet of summer blooms. He also brought gelato ice cream for the children. When he and Tamara left to go home. Cristina sighed with relief. Tamara was a great kid but having an extra child in the house had taken a toll on her, especially now that she was pregnant with twins. She wondered how she was going to cope, once the babies were born, as that would mean four young children in the house. She couldn't even bear to think about it.

She was glad that she was nearly out of the first trimester. Her morning sickness had subsided, for which she was very grateful. Still, she was often a lot more tired than she normally would be. School was about to start and she would now be the only guidance counselor at the school, now that her former mentor had retired. The help that Paul offered would come in quite handy, as he said he would come by and drop Iris off to her school, which was off-base, before he went into work. That meant Cristina only had to drop off Laurel at the preschool and then head into work at the middle school. It was certainly eased her up in the mornings.

After work, she would pick up Laurel at the pre-school and then, Iris at her school. Then, they would all go home, where she would prepare dinner. By the end of the night, she was totally exhausted. She would put the girls to bed, take a warm bath and then, collapse on to the bed. Now that school had started, she didn't talk to Owen as much, mainly because of how busy she was and how exhausted she was at night. They spoke mainly on the weekends. It was a situation that neither of them liked but it could not be avoided.

It was on his usual Saturday call that Owen got the shock of his life. He called, excited to speak to his family. He hadn't spoken to them, all week and he was dying to see their faces. When the call was answered, the face that he saw was not that of his wife. It was Paul Freaking Madison. In his house. Answering his call. Owen could barely speak when he saw Paul's face.

"Paul!" he finally shouted. "What are you doing there?"

Paul immediately turned red in the face and looked a little flustered at Owen's angry tone. "I am just helping Cristina out a bit. She is cleaning out the bathroom. I am preparing dinner for us and the girls." Owen was seething. Paul Madison seemed to be so comfortably ensconced in the Hunt household.

"Can you please get Cristina for me?" Owen asked. He tried to calm himself down. He knew Cristina was having a hard time but the presence of Paul Madison in his house was just too much to take. After a few minutes, Cristina came out and sat down in front of the computer and gave him a tired smile. He could see how exhausted she was but he was still angry that she had allowed Paul to infiltrate their family's life.

"Cristina, you know how much I love you," he started.

"Yes, I love you, too," she replied.

"I am telling you that because I don't want you to be upset about what I am going to say," Owen said. "What is Paul Madison doing in our house, cooking dinner for my family? You know how I feel about the man."

Cristina gave him a defiant look. "He is just being a friend, Owen. Just helping out with the kids and the chores around the house. He listens to me, whenever I need to talk."

"What do you mean he listens to you? I listen to you, Cristina," Owen said.

"Well, you are not around, everyday," Cristina said. "It's not like we're doing anything wrong. He listens to me, he helps out with the kids and he's a friend. I don't know what the big deal is. It's like having a husband but without the sex."

That was exactly the wrong thing to say to Owen. He was so angry that he tightened his grip on the arms of the chair in which he was sitting.

"Cristina, I am going to go, now because I know I will probably say some things that will upset you and I know I will later regret," he said. "I will talk to you tomorrow. Hopefully, both of us will be in a better mood to discuss this. Good-bye." He hung up the call and then, screamed. He was so angry with her but he didn't want to blow up at her, since he knew she was in an emotionally vulnerable state. Still, he thought, that wasn't an excuse to have Paul Madison in the house. He knew she was feeling alone and was grasping for friendship. He groaned when he realized he didn't even get the opportunity to talk to his daughters.

This situation could not continue, he determined. There was no way that Paul Madison was going to have free rein over his wife or children. Cristina had hurt him deeply when she said that having Paul around was like having a husband without the sex. There was no way that he was going to allow himself to be replaced. He totally understood the fears of his fellow servicemen about leaving their wives and girlfriends at home. He was experiencing full-blown anxiety about that very same situation. He knew what he had to do.

* * *

Cristina regretted the words the moment she said it. She saw the immediate look of hurt on Owen's face, followed by anger. He hung up because he didn't want to say things to hurt her. That evening, as she and the children had dinner with Paul and Tamara, she decided that it was going to be the last time that this was going to happen. She had to learn to tough it out, she thought. When Paul left that evening, she told him that she couldn't continue to accept his help because it upset Owen and her marriage was important to her. Paul protested a bit but she stood firm. He said he understood and then, he left.

The next day, she waited for Owen to call. She let the girls speak to him, first. They would put him in a good mood, he thought. He could never resist them. She listened to the three of them, laughing together. It was really a wonderfully happy sound. Then, he asked to speak to her, while the little girls went to Iris' room to play.

"Hey," he said. "How are you feeling today?"

"Alright, I guess," she said. "Owen, I wanted to say that I am sorry about what I said, yesterday. I didn't mean to hurt you. It was a stupid thing to say."

"Yeah," he said. "Apology accepted."

"I guess I just wanted to have someone I could lean on, during the pregnancy," she said. "It's been kind of lonely but I know now that Paul was not the right person for that. I knew you had your objections to him being around and I should have respected that. I explained this to Paul, yesterday and he won't be around, anymore."

"Thank you, Cristina," he said. "There is nothing more I would like to do than to be there with you but I have a job to do. I made a commitment to this country. I may be over here but I still want to protect my family, too. I told you before that Paul had ulterior motives, when it came to you. That's why I don't want him around you."

"I know," she said. "I understand that. It's okay." He reached out and touched the screen.

"I wish I could hold you," he said. "Anyway, just to show you that I haven't been totally dense about how you have been feeling, I have made arrangements to fill the void."

"What have you done?" Cristina asked. He gave her a cheeky smile.

"It is a surprise," he said. "I am pretty sure it will show up, quite soon. Anyway, Cristina, I am going now. Thankfully, we're leaving this in a better mood than yesterday."

"Yes," she said. "Goodbye. Speak to you, soon." She kissed her fingers and then pressed it against the screen where his lips were.

* * *

Later that day, she and the girls were having lunch, when they were interrupted by the sound of a knock on their front door. It was rare that they would have visitors on a Sunday. She opened the door to find Irene Hunt standing on the doorstep.

"Irene, what are you doing here?" Cristina asked, giving her mother-in-law a hug and a kiss. The little girls, on seeing their grandmother, ran to her, "Nana, nana!" they shrieked in delight. Irene bent down and enveloped both little girls in her arms.

"Hey, are you the surprise that Owen was talking about?" Cristina asked.

"Yes, I am," Irene said. "Owen called me, yesterday and asked if I could come down to California and stay with you, for as long as you need me."

"Irene, that is so wonderful of you," Cristina said, as a tear rolled down her cheek. "Thank you."

"Aww, it's nothing. When Owen told me that you and the grandbabies needed me, I made arrangements with my neighbor to look after the house and hopped on a plane to get here. Is it a good surprise?" Irene asked.

"A brilliant surprise," Cristina said. "I am so happy that you are here." The two women hugged.

* * *

Irene had just got herself settled in the guest room and was headed to the kitchen, when she heard a knock. Cristina and the girls were all taking naps. Irene opened the door to find Paul standing there.

She had a few choice words to tell him but she held her tongue. "Mr. Madison, how may I help you?" she asked.

"Mrs. Hunt, I didn't know you were visiting," Paul said. "Is Cristina around?"

"Yes, she is but she is taking a nap, right now and I don't think I am going to disturb her," Irene said. "I was under the impression that you were not going to be visiting, anymore."

"I was hoping that Cristina would have changed her mind," Paul said.

"No, no, that's final. We thank you for your help but we don't think that it will be necessary, anymore. I am here to help Cristina, now," Irene said, firmly. "Have a good evening, Mr. Madison." It was clear that the way she said it that nothing more was going to be said on the topic.

As Paul left, Irene closed the door, shook her head and said, "Good riddance."

* * *

**A/N Please leave your thoughts and comments. I do appreciate when you leave your reviews. As a side note, I published the first chapter of my first fan fiction, "Finding Our Way Back" on this website on July 11, 2011, so it is my second anniversary. So here we are, 14 stories completed and three in progress, I think I haven't done too badly.**


	21. Chapter 21 I Can Handle It

Cristina was happy. Even though Owen was still away, she was as happy as she could be without him being there. Having Irene around was indeed a blessing. All of the housework was now shared by the two women and made life a lot easier for Cristina.

Irene usually made breakfast for everyone and also packed the girls' lunches and snacks, while Cristina got the girls ready in the morning. After breakfast, Cristina and the girls would leave for the day. Irene would do the grocery shopping and prepare dinner in the evening. It was really great for Cristina and the girls to have a hot meal ready for them, when they got home. Things were definitely much better between Owen and Cristina. He had peace of mind that Paul was no longer hanging around his family, while Cristina had a companion in Irene, who was always ready to listen and to support her. The arrangement was working out really well.

Since Cristina still had to encounter Paul on a daily basis during the work week, it was a little awkward at first. Neither of them wanted to discuss the real reason why it was so uncomfortable between them. Instead, they were polite to each other and that seemed to work out for the best. Their children were still friends, so it was imperative that they appeared to get along.

Irene was glad that Paul was no longer around. She knew that it bothered Owen greatly when Paul seemed to have become an important part of Cristina's life. When Owen had called her to move to California, he knew it was going to be a huge favor to ask. After all, she would be uprooting her whole life in Seattle to move to California for an indefinite period of time. When she heard the strain in Owen's face and voice, she knew she had no choice. She would have done anything to make it better for him and his family. She had quickly settled down into the Hunt household. She hadn't realized how much she loved being around the two little girls. Though they were not her flesh and blood, she loved them as much as any grandmother could.

* * *

Irene was extremely excited about Cristina's pregnancy. These were her very first grandchildren. When Owen had told her that Cristina had been expecting twins, she had jumped for joy. Now, she was helping her daughter-in-law as much as she could to prepare for the impending birth of the twins. It was Irene, who accompanied Cristina to the doctor's office. She was there when Dr. Ratner told Cristina that the two babies were going to be boys. Irene cried tears of real joy in the ob/gyn's office. She was so emotional. She was so happy that when Owen called to find out about the gender of the babies, she couldn't help herself but blurt it out. Cristina didn't mind because her mother-in-law seemed so genuinely ecstatic about it all.

"Boys? Two boys? Two boys!" Owen yelled over the computer. "Wow, we will have two of each. I wonder if they will be identical."

"I am hoping that they are not identical," Cristina said. "Can you imagine two identical mischievous boys trying to fool me? No, siree. They are not going to pull the wool over their momma's eyes."

Owen chuckled. "By the way, I am making arrangements so I can get leave when the babies are born. I have already spoken to the CO about it. So if everything works out as I am hoping they would, I will be there for my babies."

"That is so wonderful, Owen," his mother said. "The whole family together."

"Cristina?" Owen said. She hadn't said anything.

"Don't mind me, I am just a little bit tired," Cristina said. "I am very happy that you will be home for their birth. I think I am going to take a nap. You two can continue talking. Bye, Owen." She got up from in front of the computer and headed to her bedroom.

When she left, Irene could see the anxiety on Owen's face. "Is everything alright with her?" he asked.

"The doctor says she's quite anemic," Irene said. "Common in women during pregnancy but even more so in women carrying more than one baby, the doctor said. The anemia has her feeling tired and weak. They are upping her iron intake and making sure she's increasing her folic acid and Vitamin B12."

"Mom, you will take care of her?" Owen said. "Please. I know anemia carries a lot of risks, like pre-term delivery."

"Yes, son, I will. I will make sure she takes all of her supplements," Irene said. "Don't you worry. I am just as invested as you in having a healthy mother and two healthy babies. Trust me."

"Thanks, mom," Owen said. As he hung up the call, he wondered if it would be better if Cristina quit her job as guidance counselor at the middle school. It was stressful enough with the pregnancy and taking care of Iris and Laurel, but she was also somehow taking on the burdens and demands of those children who sought her counsel. It all seemed to be taking a toll on her health.

It wasn't like if she needed the job, anyway. She was more than financially secure, especially with her inheritance from her father. The reason she got the job was also gone. She had gotten the job when their marriage was just one of convenience, when it was just a support so that she could finally stand on her own two feet. But that was no longer the case. Theirs was a real marriage, one that was built on love and family. So, maybe it was time that she no longer worked and just looked after herself and the children. He wanted to talk to her about it.

* * *

Cristina lay on her bed, staring at the ceiling. She was tired but it was so hard to sleep. She was not surprised when the doctor told her she was anemic. She had been feeling extremely tired at school and nearly passed out in her office. She had told no one that, not even her doctor, because Irene was there in the office. Irene would have told Owen and he would have been worried.

She remembered it well. She had started seeing black spots and she knew she was going to hit the floor, so she grabbed on to her desk and collapsed into her chair. She put her head down between her legs, until the feeling had subsided and she had started feeling better. With increased supplements, she figured that would help the anemia. Though she knew she was probably partly responsible for her health issues, Cristina had not been taking her supplements the way she should have. It was because she was so busy with the kids, the job and the house. She knew she had to do a better job at it.

* * *

When Owen spoke to her the next time, he made the point of asking her about quitting her job. She was taken aback that he would ask her to do such a thing. She enjoyed her job and helping the children with their issues.

"Cristina," he said. "You have to take better care of yourself and the babies you are carrying. You are my top priority."

"I can handle it, Owen," she tried to assure him. "I will take my supplements and everything is going to be alright. I am going to pass my next blood test with flying colors."

Owen looked doubtful. "Alright, if you say so, but if your blood work doesn't improve, we are going to discuss this again."

"Agreed," she told him. "But it will be fine. Trust me." She gave him a sweet smile. Trust me, he thought. Those were the exact words his mother had used when he had discussed Cristina's anemia. He really hoped that he could trust the both of them.

* * *

Cristina woke up with a start. She looked at the time. Her alarm did not go off. She was going to be late for work and the kids for school. She hurriedly brushed her teeth and then ran to wake up her daughters, who were both reluctant to roll out of bed. She saw Irene making breakfast in the kitchen. "Irene, why didn't you wake me up? Now we are all so late," Cristina said.

"You were so tired yesterday, I thought I would let you sleep in a little more," Irene said, apologetically. "I am sorry."

Cristina ran back to her room and got dressed as fast as she could. Then, she went to make sure the girls brushed their teeth and washed their faces, before getting them dressed. Time was passing so fast, Cristina thought.

She went to the kitchen and stared at the lovely sandwiches that Irene had prepared. They didn't have time to sit down and have breakfast. She grabbed the sandwiches and put them in a bag, along with two juice boxes. The children could have them on the way to school. She picked up their lunch bags and hurried them out to the car.

Irene yelled, "What about you, Cristina? What are you having for breakfast? What about some coffee?"

"I will grab something on the way to work," she said. "I just don't have the time, especially since I have to drive Iris off the base."

"Okay," Irene said, not liking the way Cristina was rushing out without eating. "Don't forget to take your supplements."

"Yeah, sure," Cristina said. She buckled up the children and jumped in the car. She handed Iris the bag with the sandwiches and told her to take one and give the other to Laurel. Iris did as she was told. The two children happily munched at their sandwiches and drank from their juice boxes.

Cristina was in a total tizzy. She hated being late. It made her feel unprepared for the day.

"Mommy, aren't you eating breakfast?" Iris asked.

"Yes, I will but I am driving, now. I can't eat and drive at the same time," she reminded Iris. "Don't worry, honey, I will get something to eat before I drop Laurel to school."

They were nearly there to Iris' school, when Cristina started feeling faint. She started seeing the black spots again. She knew exactly what was going to happen. She had seen those warning black spots before. There was no way she was going to black out in the middle of the street, with her girls in the car. With everything she had in her, she pulled off to the side of the street and switched off the car. Then, she lost consciousness. Her head hit the steering wheel exactly where the horn was, making it blare, incessantly.

"Mommy!" Iris screamed. She knew something was very wrong. She unbuckled herself from the seatbelt, climbed to the passenger front seat. She used all her strength to push her mother back from the steering wheel. Her mother had a red bruise on her forehead where her head had hit the steering wheel.

Iris shook her mother but she was not responding.

"What's wrong, Iris?" Laurel asked from the back seat.

"I don't know," Iris said. "Mommy is not waking up."

"I am scared," Laurel said and she started to cry. Iris wanted to cry, too but she knew she had to do something. She dug in Cristina's purse and pulled out her mother's phone. Mommy had told her that if there was ever an emergency, she should dial 911. Clearly, this was an emergency, Iris thought, as she dialed the number.

"Hello, 911," the operator said. "What is your emergency?"

"My mommy won't wake up," Iris said. "We're in our car on the side of the road."

"Okay, honey, how old are you?" the operator said. "Is anybody else there with you besides your mommy?"

"I am five. My sister, Laurel is here, too. She is three," Iris told the operator.

"Well, okay, could you tell me where you are, if you know?" the operator asked, anxiously. The children were quite young, so she needed to get help as quickly as possible.

"We are near my school, the Thomson School for Gifted Children," Iris said. "We are parked next to a big sign that says KTLV – Channel 11 Action News."

"Yes, I know exactly where that is, Iris. Help is on your way. I guess you are really gifted to read that sign. Not many five-year-olds would know what that is," the operator said. "My name is Lulu, Iris. So just stay on the line until help comes. A police officer will be there as well as an ambulance for your mommy. What is your mommy's name?"

"Cristina Hunt," Iris said. Iris and the operator chatted for a bit until a policeman knocked on the glass of the window, telling her to open it. Iris hit the button to release the doors and the policeman opened the door.

"Hello, my name is Officer Phelps. I am here to help you," the officer said. Iris was so grateful that she gave the policeman a big hug.

"Help my mommy," Iris whispered.

* * *

**A/N Please leave your thoughts and comments. I do appreciate when you take the time to review. Thank you very much.**


	22. Chapter 22 I Can't Handle It

Cristina opened her eyes and was totally confused about where she was. She fought the man, trying to put the oxygen mask on her face.

"Ma'am, you are in an ambulance. You just passed out in your car and we are taking you to the hospital," the man said. Cristina could see his uniform and realized he was a paramedic, so she stopped fighting him. Then, she remembered Laurel and Iris were in the car with her.

"My girls – they were with me," she said. She had to find out where they were, especially if anything had happened to the two of them.

"Don't worry, your two little girls are fine," the paramedic said. "They are with a police officer. They will meet you at the hospital. The police said that they will bring them to you. I have to tell you that your older little girl is so brave and smart. She is the one who rang 911 and got us to come for you."

"Iris," Cristina said, weakly. She had a splitting headache and she could feel a bump on her forehead.

"Yes, siree," the paramedic continued. "She called 911, got us here and even told the operator where you were by reading the billboard sign, where you guys were. I don't know how many five-year-olds could do that."

"She's really smart," Cristina said. "She has been reading since she was two." Even though her head was aching, she couldn't help but feel proud of Iris. She wondered if anyone had called Irene to tell her about what had happened.

"My mother in law is at home. She needs to be told, so she can come for the children," Cristina said.

"Don't worry about that. That little one of yours already told the police your home phone number, so I am pretty sure she's on her way," the paramedic said.

It was only then that Cristina relaxed. She had another blackout, she had surmised. She was so glad that the children were safe.

When they got to the hospital, she was taken to the emergency room, where she was examined. Her blood was taken and as a precautionary measure, she was taken for a CT scan on her head. Her scans were clean but her bloodwork showed that she was still quite anemic.

"Other than the fact that you are anemic, I can find nothing wrong with you. I gather the anemia is a result of your pregnancy. Have you been taking supplements?" the ER doctor asked.

"I am supposed to but I didn't take any this morning," Cristina said. "I was late dropping off my kids to school."

"Well, this seems to be a more prolonged problem than just this morning, Mrs. Hunt," the doctor, whose name was Dr. Evans, said.

"I know," Cristina said, softly. "I also didn't eat this morning." The doctor shook his head.

"I would say that your fainting spell was a combination of anemia and hypoglycemia," the doctor said. "I would suggest that you see your OB/GYN about your fainting spells. I will also suggest that you do not drive for the moment. If I were your doctor, I would suggest bed rest. I am going to discharge you but please, take better care of yourself. You're pregnant and your health affects the health of your children."

"Yes," Cristina said. "So I can go now?" She was anxious to see Laurel and Iris. They were probably so scared, she thought.

"Yes, please go to the cafeteria and have something to eat," the doctor said. "Your mother in law and your children are here. I am going to let them in." He pushed aside the curtain to reveal Irene, Laurel and Iris waiting there. All three looked like they had been crying.

"Mommy!" the two little girls screamed as they rushed towards their mother's bed. "Babies!" Cristina shrieked.

"Laurel and I were so scared," Iris said. "We cried and cried."

"Awww, I heard you were the bravest little girl ever," Cristina said, ruffling Iris' dark curls. "You called 911 and got them to come for me."

"Yes, I remembered what you told me," Iris said.

"I am glad that you listened, Iris. When Laurel gets a little bigger, we will have to teach her, too," Cristina said.

Irene was wiping the tears away from her eyes, as she came forward. "Oh, Cristina," she said. "I was so worried about you. When I got that call from the police officer, I nearly freaked out at home, wondering if you and the babies were okay."

"Owen is going to be so mad," Cristina said. "I promised him I was going to take care of myself and look what happened."

"Me, too, I promised him I would help you, too," Irene replied. "He is going to be mad at the both of us."

"The doctor says that I should go in and see my OB/GYN," Cristina said. Irene nodded.

"I totally agree," she said. "I am sure they would give us an emergency appointment after what has happened."

"Yes," Cristina said. "They're letting me go home but what about my car?"

"Oh, I have it. When they called me, they told me I had to come get it since it was parked in a precarious position," Irene said. She dug into her purse and showed Cristina the keys.

"Okay, let's go home," Cristina said. Everyone agreed.

* * *

The next day, Cristina and Irene went to see the OB/GYN. Dr. Ratner scolded Cristina about taking care of herself.

"So was this the first time you had a blackout," Dr. Ratner asked.

"No," Cristina said, softly. "Well, not exactly. I almost had a fainting spell at school but I managed to steady myself."

"Cristina!" Irene exclaimed in shock. Why would she hide something like that?

Dr. Ratner sighed. "I have no choice but to order you to bed rest for now until these fainting spells stop and your bloodwork is better. No more driving, too."

"But, but…..," Cristina said. "My job."

"Well, the Christmas break is coming so maybe that will give you time to recover but other than that, you will have to take leave from your job," Dr. Ratner said. "I am sorry but keeping yourself healthy is imperative for keeping your babies healthy."

"What happens after the Christmas break?" Cristina asked. "Will I be able to go back to work?"

"That, my dear, is entirely up to you," Dr. Ratner said. "If you do everything that I say and everything stabilizes, then perhaps, you would be able to resume your job."

That didn't sound at all good to Cristina.

* * *

It was time to face the music. Cristina had pondered whether to tell Owen at all. If she didn't tell him and found out later, he would be even angrier. However, the decision was taken out of her hands when Iris and Laurel told Owen what had happened.

"Mommy fainted while driving the car," Iris told her step-father, nodding that it was true.

"What?" Owen said. "When did this happen? Your mommy fainted while driving the car." Cristina, who was off-screen, rolled her eyes. She knew what was coming when she finally spoke to him.

"Yes," Iris continued. "And I called 911 and they came and took her away to the hospital. Laurel and I – we were so scared because Mommy didn't want to wake up."

"Thank you, Iris for calling 911 to help Mommy," he said. "You were a brave girl. Can I talk to Mommy now?" The two little girls said their goodbyes and ran off to their room.

"So were you going to tell me?" he asked. He looked exasperated with her.

"Yes," Cristina said. "Everything turned out alright in the end, Owen." She tried to act upbeat, hoping that would deflect some of his anger.

"Cristina, you and the girls could have been killed out there. In fact, my entire family would have been killed, including the two babies that you are carrying. How do you think that makes me feel? That I could have lost all of you," Owen said, his voice breaking a bit.

"I know," she said, softly. "I know, Owen."

"Didn't you tell me that you were going to take care of yourself?" he said. "What caused the fainting?"

"A combination of hypoglycemia and anemia," she told him. "I hadn't eaten that morning, too." Owen slapped his forehead with his palm.

"So what are we going to do about this?" he said. "We cannot continue like this."

"Dr. Ratner put me on bed rest for the Christmas break and then she said we will re-assess," she said.

"Maybe, you quit this job, altogether," Owen said. "Because you haven't shown that you are taking your health issues, seriously."

"I am," she protested. "I started taking the supplements, religiously. I have been getting lots and lots of sleep. I have been eating, properly. I am doing the best that I can, Owen."

"You know it is not just about you," he said. "It's about the babies, too. They are depending on you."

"I am aware of that, Owen," Cristina said. She was frustrated about everyone telling her what to do. She had been chastised by Irene, Dr Ratner and now, Owen. It was like she couldn't do anything right. She didn't feel like talking to him, anymore. She was totally peeved.

"I think I am going to take a rest, Owen," she said. She knew he would not object to that.

"Okay, Cristina, good bye. I love you," he said.

"Goodbye, Owen," she replied and hung up the call. He noticed that she did not say that she loved him back before she hung up.

* * *

Staying home for the Christmas break turned out not to be so bad since it was such a festive time of the year. Irene, Cristina and the girls put together a Christmas care package for Owen, which they filled with lots of edible goodies. Iris did a Christmas card, which everCryone signed. Cristina put in new pictures of the family, gathered around the Christmas tree.

Irene did the shopping for their Christmas holiday since Cristina was still on doctor-ordered bed rest. Cristina gave her a list of all of the things they would need. Since she couldn't go shopping at the mall, she ordered everyone's gifts online and when they came, she would wrap them under the tree. Irene had also been given a list of presents to buy from Owen. She had dutifully bought the gifts for the family and wrapped them, with a card saying that the gift was from Owen.

On Christmas Day, Owen excitedly called his family so that he could watch them open their presents. He was surprised when it was only Irene, who answered.

"Hey, mom," he said. "Merry Christmas. Where is my family?"

"Merry Christmas, Owen. Cristina and the girls are out at Denise's house. They are having breakfast, there," Irene replied. "I am here, trying to prepare for our Christmas lunch. Cristina and the girls should be back in a bit."

"So they haven't opened my presents as yet?" he enquired.

"Um, no, they are still under the tree," Irene said. "I guess you should call later if you want to see them open their presents."

"Yeah, I will," he said. "Mom, there is something that has been bothering me, lately, so it is good that I have you alone. It's about Cristina. She's been pretty distant the last few times I called her. It's like she doesn't want to talk to me. I am at a loss here."

"Oh," Irene said. "It's because you scold her about taking care of herself. She probably doesn't want to hear it anymore."

"It's because I love her, mom. I want her to be okay. I want to protect her. I want to take care of her," he said. "She, the girls and the babies are everything to me."

"Well, maybe it a lot more sweetness and a lot less chastisement would be in order, Owen. Also, if you say you want to take care of her, maybe it is time you re-think your current position. Your family needs you but you are thousands of miles away. Soon, there will be two little babies, in addition to your two little girls. That is a lot for one person to handle. You need to be here for them," his mother said. Owen was silent for a bit before he finally answered. His commitment to the country was strong in him but his family was his entire universe.

"Yes, mom, you are right. I have to make a decision, soon," he said. "I know this. Thanks for reminding me."

* * *

**A/N Please leave your thoughts and comments. I do appreciate when you leave reviews**.


	23. Chapter 23 Birth

When Owen stepped off his transport, all he could see was dark and rainy skies. When he got into the building, he was surprised that his mother was not there. He didn't expect to see Cristina, especially since she was close to her delivery date. They were going to do a C-section in two days.

"Is there a Major Hunt here?" a young brunette female soldier called out. Owen's ears perked up immediately.

"That's me," Owen said. "I am Major Hunt." He hoped that nothing was wrong.

"Oh, good, I have a message for you," the soldier said. "It is from Irene Hunt. She said to tell you that Cristina has gone into labor and is at the hospital."

"What!" Owen said, immediately panicking. "Cristina's already in labor. She can't be. I just got here."

The young soldier looked amused. "Well, you know, sir, babies have minds of their own," she said. "At least you are back in time for the birth."

"Yes, yes thank you," he said. "How the heck am I going to get to the hospital?"

"I will take you, sir," she said. "I have a vehicle right out front. I don't want you to miss your baby's birth."

"Thank you so much, Private …." Owen said.

"Flanders, sir. Private Flanders," Flanders said. "Just follow me." Owen raised his duffel bag over his shoulder and followed the soldier. They had to make a run for the vehicle because the rain was coming down in a stream.

They got into the jeep, brushing off the water on their uniforms. "Spot of bad weather, eh?" Owen said.

"Yeah," Flanders said. "You were lucky that your plane came in on time. Imagine if it didn't and you missed the birth of your baby."

"Yes, that would be a nightmare," Owen said. "But it is not just one baby, it is actually two babies."

"Wow, twins. Congratulations, sir," Flanders said, smiling. "That's an even bigger celebration."

"Thank you, Private," Owen said. He relaxed back into his seat. Though the welfare of Cristina and the two babies were the most important thing at the moment, there were other issues that needed to be resolved. Things were not the best for Owen and Cristina over the latter part of her pregnancy. He could feel a distance from her and it was most worrying. He had stopped chiding her about taking better care of herself but the damage was already done. He hoped that with him coming home and the birth of the babies, they would be able to repair their relationship because he loved her so much.

After the Christmas break, Cristina's doctor had advised that she continue her bed rest. That didn't really go down well with Cristina but she didn't fight it, since she knew it would be futile. Owen was secretly pleased but he didn't tell her that because he knew that she would take it the wrong way.

As they pulled up in front of the hospital, Private Flanders turned to him and said, "Well, here we are, sir. Good luck and congratulations."

"Thank you, Private," Owen said, as he opened the door and made a dash to the hospital doors. He shook off the rain and entered, heading straight to the reception desk.

"Good evening, my name is Major Owen Hunt. My wife, Cristina has gone into labor and is here. Can you please direct me on where I should go?" he asked the nurse. The nurse started checking her computer.

"Okay, you should head to the delivery rooms. According to the computer, she is in Room 12. It will be the end of the hall, when you get there," the nurse said.

"Thank you, thank you," Owen said. He was so excited. It felt like his feet were flying as he ran to the delivery rooms. He found Delivery Room 12 and his ears were assaulted by the sound of Cristina screaming. "I am here, I am here," he shouted. His mother, who had been holding Cristina's hands, turned around, immediately.

"Oh, thank God, Owen," she said. "I thought you would have never made it. She went into labor early this morning." Owen rushed to Cristina's side and took her hand from his mother. Irene went out into the waiting room, since only one family member was allowed in the room.

"I am here," he said. "I got a ride to the hospital. How far gone are we, Doctor?"

"The first one is coming," Dr. Ratner said. "Okay, push, Cristina." Cristina pushed again and screamed. She also squeezed his hand, so tightly, that he too wanted to scream.

"I thought you were going to do a C-section," Owen said to the doctor.

"Well, she said that you were coming home today and she wanted you to be here for this," Dr. Ratner said. "I could have done a C-section this morning. So she was waiting for you, but as we waited, her labor progressed naturally and here we are."

Owen kissed Cristina on her forehead. He was so grateful that she waited for him. "Thank you, Cristina."

"These are the last babies I am ever going to have," she said. "You needed to be here for their birth. You almost didn't make it. I just didn't remember it hurting this much. Maybe I really should have done the C-section."

"Another push, Cristina. I can see the head," Dr. Ratner said. Cristina did as she was told and pushed the head and the shoulders out. "Oh, great, here is our first baby boy. Major Hunt, I know you are a surgeon, do you wish to cut the umbilical cord?"

"Yes," Owen said. "Yes, please." He eagerly took the scissors from the doctor and cut the cord. As soon as he had done that, the doctor handed over the baby to a nurse, who cleared his nostrils and rubbed the little guy, who cried loudly. "Baby Boy A has some good lungs. Let's see about getting his brother out. Cristina, are you ready?"

"Yes, yes, I just want them out," Cristina said. Owen went back next to Cristina to hold her hand, once again.

"I think this one will come pretty fast," Dr. Ratner said. She was right. With just two pushes, Baby Boy B out, screaming. Owen again cut the umbilical cord for his second son. The nurse took him, cleaned him up and wrapped him in a blue blanket. She brought both babies for Cristina to see.

"Here you go, momma," the nurse said. "Your two beautiful boys." The nurse placed the babies on either side of Cristina. She looked at both boys, wondering whether they were identical or not. They both had dark hair. Owen could see Cristina's head going back and forth and smiled because he knew she was trying to figure out whether her babies were identical.

"Cristina," Owen whispered. "Right now, they just look like wrinkly, newborn babies. We wouldn't be able to tell if they are identical. Their features don't really look like anything as yet." Cristina sighed.

"Hey babies," she said. "I am your mommy. Don't take this the wrong way but I am so glad that you are out of my body."

The nurse said, "I will have to take them now to get them checked. I will bring them back later for you, when they are properly cleaned up." She took the babies away and Cristina felt a pang of pain from being separated from them. Owen kissed her on her forehead, again. "You did good, Cristina. Really good."

* * *

Later that day, the babies were wheeled into Cristina's room. The nurse placed one baby in Cristina's arms and the other in Owen's arms. "So what are we going to call them?" Cristina said. "Have you come up with some names?"

"I thought that you would have thought of something," Owen said, grinning.

"Well, Josh was the one who named the girls. I was thinking that you would want to do the same thing," she told him. "Though I must warn you that I have veto power."

"Ah, that is a good idea. Okay, I admit that I have been thinking of names, while I lay on my bed in Iraq," he said. "I was thinking that they should have their own first names and that the middle names could be our dad's names."

"Okay, I can live with that," she said. "I loved my dad with all of my heart but I have to admit that I prefer the name Harry to Harold." Owen laughed.

"Well, my dad's name was August," Owen said. Cristina nodded. She was fine with that as a middle name.

"So what about first names?" she asked. "What are your thoughts?"

"Since they are twins, I thought they could have their first names could start with the same letter. I was thinking of Parker and Payton," he said, raising his eyebrow. He was waiting for her approval. She mulled it over, staring at the baby in her arms.

"Okay, the one in my arms is Parker August and the one you're holding is Payton Harry," she finally said. Owen was relieved that his chosen names had passed muster with his wife.

"Cristina, now that we have named our babies, there is something that I need to discuss with you," he said, taking a seat on the side of her bed. "It's about us."

"Yes," she replied. Their relationship had been extremely strained over the last few months.

"I know that things have not been good with us," Owen started. "And I want to change that. I am sorry that I tried to dictate what happens here when I know that I am not here to understand the situation. We have to change that – we have a family. I love you more than anything else in this world. I hope you still love me the same way."

She was quiet and then she said, "I love you, Owen. I have never stopped loving you."

"You haven't said it in a while," he said. "I was beginning to doubt whether you still loved me. Long distance relationships can be very hard, especially so for a military family because there is the added element of being in a war zone. We never know when it can just end with a bomb."

"Don't say that," she said. She physically shuddered. "I don't want you to die. I want you to come home safe."

"Yes, I have been thinking about that," he said. "I know that having the two babies and the two girls will be a tremendous strain on you. I know Mom will be here but I am aware that you will be handling the bulk of the responsibility since they are our kids. I am coming to the end of my third tour of duty and I was thinking that maybe, it is time for me to come home, permanently."

Cristina was shocked. She knew how much serving his country meant to Owen. "Are you sure?" she asked.

"Yes," he said. "On those nights I was pondering about the baby names, I was also giving this serious thought."

"So are you going to leave the army?" she asked. "I know it means so much to you."

"Yes, but I have realized my family means more to me," he said. "With my training, I am pretty sure I could get a job at a civilian hospital. I was thinking that maybe, we could move to Seattle since it is my hometown. Plus Mom will be around to help with the kids."

"So you've really thought this through," she said, as she stroked Parker's cheek with her finger.

"Yes, and I have already put out feelers for jobs in the area. There is one at Seattle Grace available. They desperately need someone in charge of their trauma/emergency room. I have been in contact with their Chief of Surgery, Dr. Webber. He said he was willing to discuss it with me," Owen said. "I think it could work out at that hospital." He took her hand into his. "My family is what is most important to me and I want to make sure that we are together."

"Yes," she said. "I want us to be together. I don't want to be alone, anymore. I want you to come home for good."

"Okay," he said. "I will start the paperwork. I will finish up this tour and then, I am coming home."

He leaned over and kissed her on her lips. The babies cooed as they kissed. "I think they approve," Owen said, as he examined the faces of both babies.

"Cristina, I don't think you're going to like this but I think there is a strong possibility that they may be identical," he said. He had almost an apologetic tone as he said it.

"Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!" Cristina shrieked.

* * *

**A/N Please leave your thoughts and comments. I do appreciate when you take the time to do so.**


	24. Chapter 24 A Decision Made

When the babies came home, Iris and Laurel could not contain their excitement. They were jumping around and screaming, "Let me see, let me see."

"Can I hold one of them?" Iris asked, hopefully. Her eyes were wide with anticipation.

Owen paused before he answered. He was afraid that she would drop the baby. Then, he had an idea. "Just sit on the sofa, Iris and I will put the baby in your lap." Iris eagerly ran to the sofa and sat down, while Owen gingerly placed the baby in her arms.

"Oooh," Iris said, touching the baby's face. "He's so squishy." Laurel ran and sat down next to her sister to examine the baby.

"Me, too, Papa," Laurel screamed. "Me, too." Handing over a baby to Laurel was an even trickier proposition. Owen looked over to Cristina for guidance. She nodded.

"Okay, Laurel, have a seat and we're going to put the baby in your arms. Remember to give his head some support," Owen said. Laurel put out her arms to take the baby. Owen placed the baby gently into her arms. Laurel cooed at her little brother.

"Which one is which?" Iris asked. "They look so much alike."

"You're holding Parker and Laurel had Payton," Owen said. "Now we will have to cut down on the screaming and loud noises around here, girls, when the babies are trying to sleep. Can we agree on that?"

"Yes, Papa," the girls said in unison. The two girls were enamored with their baby brothers. They were like living dolls to the little girls.

Cristina sat down and touched her breasts. They felt so heavy and that meant that the babies needed to nurse, soon. Feeding the babies was such a chore for Cristina. When she was finished with one, she would have to start on the other. She was feeling like she was just a cow.

Owen saw her discomfort. "You'll just express your milk and Mom and I can help with the feeding of the babies," he told her. He wanted to help her as much as he could in the three weeks that he was there. He was going to be there for her and the babies for whatever they needed him for before he left.

"Yes, thank you, that would be a great help," she said. Cristina looked so tired, already. The labor had taken a lot out of her. "I am going to lie down. When the girls have had enough, you can bring the babies to me." He watched her wearily head to their bedroom. He was more determined than ever to come home to be with his family. After his break, he was going to discuss it with his CO at the combat hospital.

He turned back and watched his four children on the sofa – the two little girls fussing over their younger brothers. It was such a wonderful scene that he immediately took out his phone and took their picture. They looked so happy. Their happiness matched his own. His family, including his mother, was all together in one place. That just couldn't be beat.

* * *

The next three weeks were some of the best times in Owen's life. The babies were more than a handful and even with two adults looking after them, it was still a lot of hard work. Thankfully, Irene had taken over the care of the two girls, so that Owen and Cristina could devote themselves full-time to the care of the babies. Owen was tired, very tired in fact. But every time, he looked into one of his babies' eyes, he found a renewed energy. Yes, he thought, he was definitely coming back home.

The babies' nursery was actually Laurel's old room. She had been moved into Iris' room, which was now a sharp contrast, with one side full of books and the other full of dolls and teddy bears. Iris didn't mind that Laurel was moving into her room but she had warned her little sister not to touch her books, since she had arranged them just the way she liked.

Irene and Cristina had painted over Laurel's room into different shades of blue with accents in white. The babies slept in white cribs, which were next to each other. They slept a lot and at various times of the day, each member of the family would just go into the bedroom and watch them as they napped. Every time he watched them sleep, Owen could not help but marvel at their existence. He promised them that he would always take care of them.

His break ended much too soon for any of them and it was a tearful family that said goodbye to him on that early morning. He kissed each of his children on their forehead and hugged his mother. When it came to his wife, he gently took her face into his hands and kissed her, softly. "I will be back soon, Cristina. You can count on this. As soon as I get back to the hospital, I am going straight to my CO."

"Okay," she said. "I am a soldier's wife. I have patience. I can wait till then." He kissed her once, again – this time, a little more deeply. While everyone else cried, as he walked away, Cristina did not. She had the promise that he would soon be back. A promise she knew that he was going to keep.

As he headed back to Iraq, Owen, as always, proudly showed off the picture of his family. "That's a fine looking family," a fellow officer said. "Twins?"

"Yes, thanks," Owen said. "Babies are only three weeks old. Very hard to leave them behind. I came home just in time to see them being born. It was singularly the most meaningful moment of my life. My wife was a total trouper, too. I love her so much."

"Yes," the officer, who was also a major, said. "I know what you mean. Without our wives, where would our families be? They're both mom and dad, while we're not there. They practically raise the kids by themselves."

Owen knew that was not he wanted for his family. He did not want to be the father who was gone for long periods of times. He wanted to watch see his boys get their first tooth, crawl, walk and say their first word. Maybe they would say, "dada," which would be much to his wife's chagrin. He grinned at the thought. He really needed to get back home as soon as he could.

* * *

As soon as he got back to Iraq, he asked for an appointment to see his CO. He marched to that office, full of purpose. He knocked on the door and heard the booming voice of his CO telling him to enter. He gave the grizzled older man a quick salute.

"Ah, Hunt, so you're back!" Colonel Hamlin said. "Good to see you. How is the family? Did you make it back in time to see your babies being born?"

"Yes, sir, actually by the skin of my teeth. When I got in, she was already in labor and I made it to the delivery room, just as my first boy was being born. Got the chance to cut the umbilical cord and everything. Do you want to see a picture, sir?" Owen asked.

"Why, certainly, Hunt," Hamlin said. Owen showed him the picture of his two daughters holding their little brothers.

"My, those are some tiny girls holding those babies, Hunt. Weren't you scared?" Hamlin asked.

"Well, they are small but that's why we put them on the sofa, so they could hold the babies, while sitting down. Iris is now six and Laurel is four, so they are bigger than the last time I saw them," Owen said.

"Ah, I see," Hamlin said. "So, now that you have had your family time, are you ready to go back to work? Johnson needs to go back to the US. His wife is also having a baby. You surgeons are breeding like rabbits, it seems."

"Oh, yes. I remember Johnson telling me his wife was soon to be due. Yes, sir, I am ready to go back to work but there is something I really need to discuss with you," Owen said. He hoped the Colonel would understand.

"Well, go ahead," the colonel said. "I think I know where this is going but let me hear it in your own words."

"Sir, I am coming to the end of my third tour of duty and I am hoping that I could be discharged at the end of that," Owen said. "My family needs me and I want to be with them."

"Alright, I expected this, after you started showing me the picture of your very young children," the Colonel said. "Obviously, I don't think I can change your mind."

"No, sir," Owen said. "I have been thinking about this for a while."

"Well, did the army pay for your medical training, son?" the Colonel asked. "If it did, then you do owe us a couple more years."

"No, sir," Owen said. "I had already gone to medical school, internship and fellowship training before I joined the army. The army did not pay for my education. I joined the army to serve my country. I have fulfilled what I signed up for."

"A noble reason, son," the Colonel said. "So I guess that means you are free and clear. Will you be joining the Reserve?"

"Most likely, sir," Owen said. "I still want to serve my country."

"Well, okay, I guess we can get the paperwork started. I am going to miss you around here, Major. You're a fine surgeon. Some civilian hospital is going to be very lucky to have you," the Colonel said. Hamlin offered his hand for Owen to shake, which he did. With a final salute, Owen left the Colonel's office. He felt good; scratch that, he felt great. He couldn't wait to tell Cristina that the wheels had already been set in motion.

He was headed outside, when he heard the commotion. He wondered what was going on. Then, he saw it. A truck had broken through the barricades into the hospital compound. Everyone was running away from the truck. The armed soldiers were running towards the truck. Owen's saviour complex kicked in and unlike other people who were fleeing the scene, he ran to the truck, hoping he could help. Then, it happened. The truck exploded. The blast from the explosion threw him into the air and he landed 15 feet from where he had originally stood. He could feel the pain of the shrapnel piercing his body. The last thing he saw was the smoke and fire and then it was black. He had lost consciousness.

Owen opened his eyes. The pain from his shrapnel wounds was intense. He was pretty sure he had some broken bones. One of his legs was curled under him and he was 95 per cent sure that it was probably broken.

"Hold on, Major Hunt," a familiar voice said. He knew that voice. It was the voice of Nurse Redding, one of his surgical nurses who often assisted him in the OR. "Redding?" he said, weakly.

"You've been hurt in an explosion, Major Hunt. We've got about 10 casualties. You will have to go into surgery to remove all that shrapnel. Plus I am pretty sure your leg is broken," Redding said.

"Anybody died?" Owen asked. Redding sighed and nodded.

"Yes, sir, two soldiers didn't make it. They were the ones closest to the blast, plus the guy who was driving the truck, probably a suicide bomber," Redding said. Owen then heard her order someone to take Major Hunt immediately to surgery. As they placed him on a stretcher, the last words he heard from Redding were. "Don't worry, sir. You are going to make it."

He closed his eyes and thought about his family. As much as the suicide bomber was determined to die, Owen was determined to live.

* * *

**A/N Please leave your thoughts and comments. I do appreciate when you leave your reviews. Thank you very much.**


	25. Chapter 25 A New Move

The first voice he heard when he opened his eyes was the last voice he heard before he lost consciousness. "Hey, Major Hunt, how are you feeling?" Nurse Redding said.

"Like I have been hit by a train and left for dead," Owen said, weakly.

"Ah, at least, we still have a sense of humor about it," Redding said, with a laugh.

"How am I doing?" Owen asked. This time, he was serious.

"Pretty okay, considering everything," Redding said. "Your leg was broken in two places and it is in a cast, now." He sighed as he observed his leg up in the air.

"And internal injuries?" Owen asked.

"Well, we did take quite a bit of shrapnel out of you. I was assisting in your operation. Colonel Hamlin operated on you," Redding said. "Kept saying that you had a lot to live for and he was going to make damn sure that you were going to make it. He will probably come by in a bit. It was a rough time for all of us, with all of the casualties. We lost two more on the OR table."

"Damn!" Owen said. It was always hard to lose people, especially those who worked on the hospital compound.

"Well, get some rest, sir," Redding said. "I placed some ice chips next to your bed, if your mouth is dry." She went and was checking on another patient.

As Owen lay in his bed, he realized how lucky he was. He could go back to his family but there were four other comrades who were not going to do so. Such was the business of war, where people died, every day. The sacrifice, sometimes, was just too great.

He closed his eyes and allowed the image of his wife to fill his mind. It was the last thought he had before he fell asleep.

* * *

When he awoke a few hours later, it was a different face that greeted him. It was his CO, Colonel Hamlin.

"Colonel Hamlin," Owen said. His hand automatically went up to his forehead to salute him. It was just a normal reflex. "Ow!" The pain of raising his arm shot through his entire body.

"This is no time for salutes, son," Hamlin said. "How are you feeling?"

"Like every bone in my body is broken," Owen said.

"Well, luckily for you, it is only your leg that is broken," Hamlin said. "In a couple of days, we are going to move you to Germany. You are going to recuperate there. Your wife can come and visit you there."

"I seriously doubt that, sir," Owen said. "Our babies still need her. They are a little more than three weeks old. I will probably have to find my way back to them."

"You were lucky, son," Hamlin said. "I am so glad that you made it. We lost four people." Hamlin let out a long sigh. It always hurt him to the core, when they lost people.

"I heard you were the one, who operated on me," Owen said. "Thank you for everything."

"That's nothing, son. I was just doing my job," Hamlin said. "For the most part, we did have a trying time, removing all of the shrapnel. Major Johnson worked on your leg. I am just happy that you are doing well. When we are sure that you're stable and you can be moved, we will send you to Germany."

"Thanks," Owen said, again. His CO touched him on his shoulder, before he left.

* * *

The Army had informed Cristina of what had happened to him. She had broken down and cried. She, Irene, Iris and Laurel all held each other and wept together. This was better than the last time the Army officers had come to her door to tell her that Josh was dead. She had cried, then, too because of her loss. This time, she cried because Owen was alive.

She desperately wanted to talk to him but they said that given his condition, he would only be able to call when he got to Germany. When she knew he was being transferred, she waited, anxiously for the call. She slept lightly in her bed, ready to stir awake if the phone rang. She was used to a light sleep because of the babies. She didn't care what time it was; she just wanted to hear his voice.

It was 3.32 a.m. when the call finally came. "Owen," she said, softly.

"Hey there, now," he said. "How are you, my love?"

"Just fantastic after hearing your voice, Owen," she said. "How are you doing?"

"Pretty good, I think," he said. "A lot better than before." Then, he heard her sniffling. He could tell that she was crying.

"Hey, don't cry," he said. "I am alright. I am coming back home to you."

As the tears streamed down her face, she told her husband that she was crying tears of joy. She was crying because he was alive. Then, he remembered that she had suffered a loss before.

"This time, it's not like Josh," he said. "This time, I am coming home."

"I am just so happy," she said. "I still have my husband. One of the teachers at the school, Sharon Robinson, just got the news that her husband died when his vehicle hit an IED. She broke down in the teachers' lounge and nobody knew what to do. I thought about you and was so grateful that you were alive but so sorry for her."

"Yes, it is hard," he said. They were both silent for a bit. "I know you won't be able to come to Germany because of the babies but that's okay."

"Sorry about that," she said. "I really want to come but the babies are so young and I can't leave your mom with four little children. It just wouldn't be fair and I don't think that she would be able to handle it."

"Yes, I know. You know what? I want us to start thinking about the future," Owen said. "Our lives when we leave the army. Moving back to Seattle is going to be good for us. Why don't you go online and start finding our house for us?"

"Yes, yes, I can do that," she said. "I can get our house for us." He was glad that other than the babies and the girls, she would have something else to occupy her mind, other than worrying about him.

"Goodbye, Cristina, I have to go now," Owen said. "Talk to you soon."

"Goodbye, Owen. I love you," she said.

"I love you more," he replied.

* * *

By the time Owen came back to California, they were ready to leave. He had been discharged from the army and they were moving to Seattle. Their furniture was to be shipped to an address that Cristina had not told Owen about. She had bought them their house in Seattle. She wanted to surprise him. Owen was under the impression that they were going to stay with his mother until they found their own place. Little did he know that they already had a place.

They were driving up to Seattle – it was going to be difficult for the children, so they had planned a lot of rest stops in between. It was going to take a lot longer to get there to Seattle than they normally would. When they finally got to Irene's house, the children were dead tired. After putting the children to sleep, Cristina asked Owen to go somewhere.

"Now?" he asked. "It is pretty late." But he knew he could not deny her anything, so they wearily got into the car and she put in the address on the GPS. He was confused. Where were they going? Ten minutes later, they pulled in front of a large two-storey house. He looked at her, with one eyebrow raised.

"Is this ours?" he asked.

"Yes, yes, yes," she screamed. "I bought it. Isn't it beautiful? It has five bedrooms, five and a half baths, a big backyard for the kids to play. Come on, let's see."

Owen parked in the driveway and Cristina pulled out the keys to the front door. As she opened the door to reveal the two-storey foyer, which led to the open plan living and dining room, Owen was suddenly overwhelmed by everything. He took it all in - the large picture windows, the wooden floors, the curving staircase that led to the upstairs bedrooms.

"Wow, this is ours," he said, appreciatively. She said she had done a tour of the house online, contacted the realtor, went to Seattle on a one-day trip and made an offer. Her offer was accepted, an inspection was done and all the paperwork was completed. The realtor had sent her the keys by courier.

After they both toured the house, Owen took Cristina in his arms, raised her face to his and gave her a kiss. "Thank you," he said. "This is an incredible house."

"I bought it for us. Our family. I think we are going to be very happy here," she said."Just imagine our kids running up and down those stairs."

"Yes," he said, as he held her in his arms.

Their furniture arrived the next day and they made quick work of fixing up the house. More furniture was bought to fill up the rooms. They wanted to complete it as quickly as possible because Owen was due to start work at Seattle Grace Hospital, very soon. Finally, they all moved out of Irene's house and into their own.

* * *

When Owen finally started working at the hospital, she took the twins in for their six-month check-up at the pediatrician. Owen had gone with her for the appointment. The twins were declared healthy and doing well. Both parents were very pleased.

Owen had to go back to work but he took her to the garden dining area, so she could have lunch. He couldn't join her because there was a trauma in the ER. She told him to go ahead and that she would go home after lunch. He kissed her before he left her there.

She sat down by herself at a corner table. She fed both babies before putting them back in the twin stroller. She then started eating the sandwich that Owen had bought for her from the hospital staff cafeteria.

As she sat there, she noticed a boisterous group of interns in light blue scrubs – two guys and two girls. They were surgical interns, she knew because her husband had navy blue scrubs and the surgical interns wore light blue. Maybe they were residents, she thought, because they also wore light blue scrubs. They looked very animated. One was a tall, statuesque woman with light blonde hair; she looked like a model. The other girl was smaller; slim with dark blonde hair. She was probably only slightly taller than Cristina. One of the guys was short with floppy dark hair and blue eyes. He looked a little bit insecure. The other guy was different – he had brown hair and brown eyes. He was quite good-looking but had an arrogant air about him. She wondered what it would be like to be an intern.

It was the slim girl with the dark blonde hair, who noticed her looking at them. The girl smiled and waved. Cristina smiled and waved back. She didn't know the girl but she seemed quite friendly. She saw the girl say something to her friends before she walked across to Cristina's table.

"Hi, are you Dr. Hunt's wife?" she asked. Cristina nodded.

"Yes, I am," she said.

"Can I sit?" the blonde girl asked. Cristina nodded, again. The girl sat and said, "I just wanted to tell you that your babies are beautiful."

"Thank you," Cristina said, smiling. She loved when people noticed her babies. "They are both boys. Parker and Payton. They came in for a six-month check-up."

"So would you like to join us? You're sitting here by yourself," the girl said.

"I don't want to intrude," Cristina said. "You all look to be having a lovely time by yourself."

"Don't worry about it," the girl said. "Come on, you can't sit here by yourself with your babies."

"Oh, alright," Cristina said, grateful to start making friends in her new city.

"Yes. By the way, I am Meredith," the girl said.

"I am Cristina," Cristina replied.

"Nice to meet you," Meredith said.

"Nice to meet you, too," Cristina said. As Meredith pushed the double stroller to her table, Cristina picked up her lunch and handbag and followed her.

As the young interns cooed over her babies, Meredith introduced them all. "This is Izzie, George and Alex. Guys, this is Cristina, Dr. Hunt's wife."

Cristina looked around at all of her new friends. "Pleased to meet you all," she said.

* * *

**A/N Please leave your thoughts and comments. I do appreciate when you do so.**


	26. Chapter 26 Surgical Junkie

Owen was very pleased that his family was settling down very well in their new home, Seattle. As a son of Seattle, he was gratified that this was the place he was going to raise his family.

They had placed Iris in an excellent school for gifted children. She had done an interview and an evaluation test and the school's admittance officers had been blown away by how gifted she was. Iris was happy with her new school because it was the much more challenging than the school she attended in California. There was nothing that Iris liked better than a challenge.

Laurel was showing signs that she was above-average, academically. She could possibly be as gifted as Iris but because she was shyer and quieter than her older sister, it was hard to tell what she was actually thinking. She told her parents that she did not want to go back to pre-school, saying it was too babyish and would like to go to kindergarten, instead. The kindergarten did not want to take the four-year-old but Cristina and Owen persuaded them that Laurel was ready for kindergarten. Personally, Owen thought that Laurel was already past kindergarten level but he didn't want to push his younger daughter as aggressively as Iris, who loved to be pushed. He knew that when Laurel was ready for more, she would say so.

As for the babies, they were spending more and more time at the hospital daycare. It wasn't because Owen was bringing them to work but more because Cristina was spending so much time at the hospital. He was glad she had new friends but he did worry because her friends were known for getting in trouble around the hospital and that she, too would get into mischief with them and would be banned from the hospital premises. Her friends were rule-breakers, with the exception of George, who was anxious enough for all of them. Meredith even lent Cristina her light blue scrubs so she could sneak into the OR's viewing gallery to see surgeries.

This was Cristina's favorite part about hanging around the hospital – watching the surgeries. In fact, it seemed that she was more into it than her friends. Once, Owen caught his wife in the viewing gallery during one of his operations. He looked up and saw the face of the woman he loved. He knew she wasn't supposed to be there. He reprimanded her about it and she said she wouldn't do it, again. It was a bad example, he knew, since he was the chief of trauma surgery.

She did try but it was hard to keep her away from the excitement of the surgical viewing gallery. So, what she did was to avoid the viewing gallery, whenever her husband was in surgery. Sometimes, her friends would tell her when they would be in surgery but she noticed that most times, they were confined to holding clamps. Still, she wanted to be down there with them, even if it was just to hold a clamp. It was while she was sitting in the gallery, watching a cardiothoracic surgeon work on a man's heart that she finally made up her mind.

The surgeon was named Dr. Burke and he was a genius at what he did. She had watched him many times in the Operating Room and she knew this is what she wanted to do for the rest of her life. All she had to do was convince Owen.

* * *

It was during dinner that she decided to bring up the topic. The two little girls were busy eating, while she and Owen each fed a baby. "Owen, I was thinking of going back to school," she said.

"Really?" he asked. "I mean we probably would have to hire some help but if you want to do it, you can go ahead. Are you planning a PhD in psychology?"

"No," she told him. "I want to be a surgeon." She said, very quietly but rather firmly.

He looked across at her. "What? Did you say a surgeon?"

"Yes," she said. "I think I want to be a surgeon. I love it. It's in my blood. I don't know why I didn't do this earlier. My dad's a doctor but I think it was because he was a doctor that I didn't want to study medicine. I wanted to do something different from what he did. It must have been my rebellious teenage years. Plus he was giving me such a hard time about Josh that I turned away from everything he did. Gosh, why was I so stubborn? I could have been an intern by now."

"Cristina, you know it is going to be a lot of hard work. You have four years of medical school and then five years of residency plus two years of fellowship training. It is a very long time. Plus we have our four children," he said.

"Are you trying to discourage me?" she asked. Her lips were drawn in a thin line.

"No, I am not trying to discourage you. I just want you to be aware of everything. It is a huge commitment. Lots of late nights studying," he said. "I wanted you to be prepared for that. Also, our kids. What's going to happen to them in the meantime?"

"I am going to get us a full-time housekeeper, who will take care of the cooking and the cleaning and a babysitter who will come in every day to see about the babies. I can afford it," she said. "I can put my dad's money to good use." Owen could see the determination in his wife's eyes. He smiled.

"Okay," he said. "I know you will be able to get through it. You are a strong woman. Look how much you have been able to survive over the last few years. I will support you, every step of the way."

"Thank you," she said. Iris, who had been listening intently to the conversation, decided to pipe up.

"So, mommy, you're going back to school to be a doctor," she said. "That's just awesome. You will have homework to do, just like me."

"Yes, Iris, I am pretty sure that I am going to have homework just like you. Very hard homework, too," Cristina said. "But I am ready for it."

"Mommy, I think you are going to make a great doctor," Laurel said, between pushing forkfuls of food in her mouth.

"Why, thank you, Laurel for that vote of confidence," she told her younger daughter. "I am so happy that I am getting all-around support from everyone."

"I just thought about something. You will probably have to beef up on pre-med courses before you can even apply to medical school," Owen said.

"I already thought about that," she said. "I am going to take them at the University of Washington. I have already investigated that."

"What about the MCAT?" he asked.

"I have thought about that. I bought some prep books and I am going to practice as many tests as I possibly can," she said.

"So you've thought about everything," he said. "That's good."

"I had to, because I knew you were going to ask all these questions. I know you don't want our family to suffer, so I thought what you were going to ask and came up with solutions for all of them," she said. "I tried to cover all of the bases."

Both Cristina and Owen smiled at each other across the table. It was good that they could discuss things, when major events were going to overtake their lives. They were fully a team, now. It wasn't like before when they were separated and Cristina was making decisions without him. He was now fully integrated into his family's life. It was a good feeling.

* * *

Later that night, as they lay on their bed, with her resting her head on his chest, he asked, "Are you tired?"

"No," she whispered. "Well, yeah, a little bit. The kids can be tiring."

"You know when you start medical school, it is going to be even more tiring," he said.

"Yeah, I know," she replied. "But I am ready for it."

"So you're going to be a surgeon? Do you want to be a trauma surgeon like me? We can be Team Hunt, able to save people in a single scalpel stroke," he laughed.

"Well, um, I was thinking of cardio-thoracic surgery," she said. "Your head of cardio, Dr. Burke. He is just brilliant. I have seen him do things that are just amazing. Not that you aren't amazing, too but the heart is pretty darn fascinating."

"Back up there a bit. When did you see Dr. Burke do all of these amazing things? Are you still sneaking into the OR viewing gallery?" he said, shaking his head.

"Um…," she said, quietly.

"Cristina, we talked about this, already. I don't want you to get kicked out of the hospital for breaking the rules. I know it is their fault – those interns you hang out with. Grey, Stevens, Karev and O'Malley. They've already gotten into quite a bit of trouble in their first year," Owen said.

"Well, not O'Malley so much," Cristina admitted. "He is always the one warning us about the consequences of our actions."

"He is a good kid, that O'Malley. Has the makings of a fine trauma surgeon," Owen said. "Good thing, too, since my wife obviously does not want to follow me in my field and wants to train under Burke. Jeez. You know I don't like that guy. I know he is a brilliant cardio-thoracic surgeon but there is something about him that rubs me the wrong way."

"Are you jealous of Burke?" she said, laughing. "There is no way that he is as sexy as you."

"What? You think I am sexy," he said. She lifted her head and looked into his eyes.

"You are the sexiest man ever," she told him. "It's not just your body which I love very much. I love your voice, the way you walk, the way you hold me in your arms, the way I feel when I am in your arms. You're so sexy that it makes me feel sexy."

He flipped her over on to her back. "Let me show you how sexy I can be." He bent down to taste her lips, once, twice, three times. For the fourth time, he deepened his kiss, as their lips and tongues crashed against each other's. Her hands were under his t-shirt, caressing his muscular chest, before she found herself tugging at the drawstrings of his pajama bottoms. He decided to help her out and stripped away his clothes, while still kissing her at the same time. He then stripped off her clothes, until she too was bare.

As he examined his wife under him, he was drunk with desire. "You are so beautiful, my wife."

"So are you," she responded. "Make me yours."

As they made love, the joy he felt was overwhelming. With their bodies joined together, all he could think about was how much he loved this woman. His life had completely changed the day that Josh told him to find his wife. Little did he know then that he would fall in love with her.

Even as their bodies moved together in rhythmic fashion, he felt that they were not just physically connected, their souls were, too. It was like if their souls were one. Cristina felt it, too. They couldn't be any closer than two people could be.

As they lay together after making love, Cristina said, softly, "I am so glad that you came into my life."

"Me, too," he replied. Everything in the world seemed right.

* * *

**A/N Please leave your thoughts and comments. I do appreciate it.**


	27. Chapter 27 Life Ever After

**A/N: Final chapter**

_**Five years later**_

Cristina's pager beeped. She was told to go the Nurses' station on the 3rd floor. That was strange, she thought. But who was she to question that? Cristina was just a lowly intern at Seattle Grace Hospital – the lowest in the pecking order of the surgical department. All her friends were either fellows or attendings. George had left to join the army and was still in the army as a trauma surgeon. Alex was a peds fellow, while Izzie was an ob/gyn fellow. They were married, now and had a baby boy. Meredith was a general surgery attending, though there was a time she had toyed with the idea of going into neurosurgery, like her husband. When she completed her residency in a couple of years, Cristina, too, would join them but she had to get through it.

The last few years had been tough ones for the Hunt family. With Cristina at medical school and Owen at a full-time job with odd hours, they had become reliant on a babysitter and a housekeeper to help them with child care and housekeeping. Irene did as much as she could to help them, too. She was always willing to take the children, whenever the babysitter was not available and Owen and Cristina needed some time for themselves. Those times were few and far-between because with four growing children, school and work, they had little time to concentrate on each other. Their relationship had become strained at times because they were both so tired and so busy. Yet, their marriage and family survived.

When Cristina finally graduated from the University of Washington, they both breathed a sigh of relief. But, they knew it was just the first step. Residency loomed for the next five years. They were so happy that they had such great support from the babysitter, the housekeeper and Irene. They knew without them, they wouldn't be able to make it. The children were all doing well and they were grateful for that.

Iris was now 12 and a junior in high school. Owen had worried tremendously when the school told them at the age of 10, that maybe Iris would be able to flourish in a normal high school. After all, she was only 10 at the time and would be entering high school with 14- and 15-year olds. Still, Iris was a brave girl and was doing well. She was, of course, the most academically advanced of all the children in her classes. At first, the other children treated her like an anomaly but they finally got used to the presence of the little girl, whose feet still did not touch the ground, when she sat down at her desk. Iris was so cute and funny that she charmed a lot of people. No one could mess with the little girl with the long, curly hair and green eyes.

Laurel was also proving to be quite smart. She was not a genius like Iris but she was very bright. She was now ten and had entered first grade at the age of five, plus skipping Grade 3. She was now in Grade 6 and enjoyed it, tremendously. Owen and Cristina knew it was important to encourage Laurel and not to compare to her to Iris. She was shyer, quieter and more reserved. She was also more sensitive than her older sister. She was greatly aware of how super-smart Iris was and it affected her, sometimes, when people made comparisons. Owen and Cristina were quick to point out all of Laurel's attributes to anyone, who made such unfair remarks. She knew she was greatly loved by her parents.

The boys, Payton and Parker, were six years old and were very mischievous. They often tried to fool their parents in pretending one was the other. They pulled this prank on the babysitter, the housekeeper, their parents and their first grade teachers. They were both full of life and very happy little boys. They sometimes visited their parents at the hospital and sometimes caused a little bit of chaos. Yet, everyone knew that the Hunt twins were harmless, while they pulled their pranks. The boys, both with curly dark hair, were favorites of everyone in the hospital.

Cristina ran to the nurses' station. Maybe it was an awesome case that she was being called for. Being an intern meant you have to scramble for cases, sometimes. There was so much competition. She did get cases from Owen in the ER department. She liked working with him. It probably wasn't the field that she wanted to specialize in, but it was good to work with her husband. He was an excellent teacher and she was so proud of him.

She was interested in cardio and her attending was Preston Burke. He really was arrogant, Cristina thought. Brilliant but arrogant. She wondered if he had something against her because she was the Chief of Surgery's wife. It was well known that Burke had wanted the job but Owen was the one who got it. Still, he grudgingly taught her in the OR. He could see her talent and her skill and that won him over any misgivings he had because she was the spouse of the Chief of Surgery.

When Cristina got to the nurses' station, she asked the nurse on duty, "You paged me? Cristina Yang?"

The nurse looked extremely puzzled. "Me? No. I didn't page you."

Cristina was puzzled. "It was me who paged you," she heard a familiar voice say.

"Dr Hunt?" she said, turning around and smiling.

"Yes, Dr. Hunt," Owen said. "Come along, I have an interesting case for you to see." She followed him but it looked like he was not going to a patient's room but rather an on-call room. He gently pushed her inside the room while he locked the door.

"Dr. Hunt!" she said in mock horror. "What are we doing here? Where is this interesting case that you promised me?"

"There is no interesting case. I am sexually harassing my intern," he said, with a laugh. "Who else am I going to sexually harass but you?" She put her arms around his neck and he bent down to kiss her. He guided her to the bed, where they both continued kissing feverishly.

"Dr. Hunt, you know you can be reported for this," she said, even as she moaned.

"Of course," he said. "But somehow, I don't think that you will, especially since I am the one you would have to report it to, Dr. Hunt."

"Ah, yes, so I guess I have no other choice but to allow you to sexually harass me," she said, as she untied his scrub bottoms.

"No, you don't," he said, as he slipped off his shirt and his pants. He helped her remove her light blue scrubs. "We're going to have to be quick. I have a meeting in about 40 minutes. "

"Oh, you are just going to use me and leave me, Dr. Hunt," she said, giggling.

"I am afraid so, Dr. Hunt, but I am going to give you the time of your life," he said, as he went down on her. She closed her eyes and just reveled in the bliss.

The two doctors emerged from the on-call room about 30 minutes later, a bit disheveled and still tying on their scrub pants. Cristina's hair looked like it needed a brush. "That was an excellent discussion on that case, Dr. Hunt," Owen said.

"I do concur, Dr. Hunt," she said. "See you later." The two headed in different directions, with Cristina bumping into Meredith, who gave her a critical once-over.

"Oh, my God, you have sex hair," she said. "Have you and the Chief been loving it up?"

"Yes," Cristina said, between tightened lips. "Please don't talk about it."

"Aw, don't worry about it. Interns have been sleeping with attending doctors, since time immemorial. That's how Derek and I got together," Meredith said, referring to her Head of Neurosurgery husband, Derek Shepherd. "By the way, I have been looking for you. I have put you on my service."

"So what do we have?" Cristina asked. She really wasn't into general surgery but it was the foundation of everything else.

"Gall bladder removal and appendix removal," Meredith said. "I know general surgery is not really your thing but you must learn it all and you can't try getting on Burke's service all of the time. You are an intern and you have to learn everything."

"I know," Cristina said. "I am not complaining. Burke is doing a heart transplant tomorrow. I hope to get in on that, tomorrow."

The next day, Cristina did indeed find herself on Burke's service. The tall, dark-skinned surgeon peered down at her from over his glasses. "So Hunt, you're on my service, today. You are going to see something really exciting."

"Yes, Dr. Burke," she said. "I have already looked at the OR schedule. Surgery is scheduled for 10 a.m. in OR 1."

"Yes, I like an intern who is prepared," he said. "So scrub in and be there."

"Yes, Dr. Burke," she said. As he walked away, she pumped her fist in the air and did a little slide dance.

"Dr. Hunt," her husband said from behind her. "Are you dancing in the hallways?"

"Yes, Chief," she said. "I got in to Burke's heart transplant today. Of course, I won't be doing much but I will be in there. Take that, my fellow plebe interns."

"I am glad that you're happy," he said. "I will pass in the viewing gallery and check how you're doing."

"I will be the intern with the eager face, hoping to get a chance in the game," she said. "Even all I do is hold a clamp, that's fine. I will be up close to all of the action."

As it turned out, Dr. Burke allowed Cristina to do more than just hold the clamp. He had been observing the intern on many previous surgeries and knew she could probably do more than the average intern. Owen was there watching Burke teach Cristina. He was very proud of her.

At the end of the surgery, Burke told her. "Amazing work there, Hunt," he said. "You're back on my service, tomorrow." Her heart almost burst with joy.

* * *

When Owen paged her for them to meet in their favorite on-call room, he told her that he had seen her in the OR and that he was proud of her. She then went on to a five minute monologue about everything that happened in the OR, while he undressed her. All he did was smile. He had never seen so excited before.

Finally, he spoke. "I am happy that you are happy. Burke is teaching you well. That's the most important thing. You have real talent, Cristina. For an intern, your skills are far advanced than your fellow interns. Maybe it is genetic from your dad. I am so very proud of you."

"Thank you," she said. "I can use my talented hands for other things, too." She gave him a wicked grin as she slipped her hand around his member and began stroking him to hardness.

"Yes, that is real talent," he said. It was his turn to close his eyes and enjoy the immense skills of his wife's talented hands.

* * *

_**Six years later**_

Cristina and Owen were the proudest parents, as they dropped off Iris in Cambridge, so she could start medical school at Harvard. Iris was now 18. She had entered college at 14 and had graduated earlier that year. She had been accepted at five other medical schools but she chose Harvard because it was where her papa had gone to school.

Cristina, Owen, Laurel, Parker and Payton had made the trip to Cambridge. Everyone did their best to help to get Iris settled in her new apartment. Well, almost everyone, the 12-year-old twins were busy exploring the apartment building.

"Don't get lost," Cristina warned. "Come back here in half-an-hour. We're going across to Harvard so your dad can reminisce about the days when he was young and had no children. Now, that he has children who are getting him grey." Owen laughed. His strawberry blonde hair now had streaks of grey in between. Cristina's hair was still as dark and as lush as ever.

Sixteen year old Laurel, who was going to be a high school senior, emptied the last box of books and placed them on the shelves. "I think that is it, Iris."

"Thanks, Laurel. It's so good that everyone came to see me off," Iris said. There were tears in her eyes as she said it. She was going to miss her family so much.

"Aww, baby," Cristina said, hugging her oldest child. It was Iris' first time, living away from home. Everyone came together and hugged Iris, all of them crying a bit.

The twins came back to see them in their emotional huddle and wondered why was everyone so mopey. The hug was broken off and they wiped away their tears.

"Okay, I guess we can go over to Harvard, now," Owen said, his voice still a little bit shaky. It was going to be so hard to say goodbye to his oldest child. He and Iris always had a special bond from since she was four years old. He remembered how hard he tried to get her in a school for the gifted, then. He had always wanted the best for her and he could not be prouder that she was attending the same medical school that he did.

The Hunt family left the apartment and drove across to Harvard. Owen pointed out all of the places he used to frequent on the campus. Cristina looked at him with so much love. He was the best thing that ever happened to a widowed soldier's wife, she thought. She loved him so much and could never imagine living without him.

Owen saw the look in his wife's face and returned the look of love. "Oh, no," Iris said. "They are getting all lovey-dovey about each other."

The twins groaned. Their parents could get really embarrassing sometimes. "Oh, shut up, kids. I love your mother so much," Owen said. He took his wife in his arms and gave her a smack on the lips.

"Not in front of everybody," Laurel said. She covered her eyes in mock horror. But in reality, she didn't really mind it. She loved that her parents loved each other so much.

"So now that we have been given the tour by your father, I guess we can get dinner and then, we will back to Seattle tonight," Cristina said. "As a Cardio fellow, I have a lot of things to do this week. So does your dad. He has a mountain of paperwork." Owen glumly nodded.

It was great night, as the whole family was together. Owen knew that in the years to come, it would just be him and Cristina, as the children headed off to college. He looked over at his wife. She caught his glance and they stared at each other. All of the noise in the restaurant just disappeared. He reached over and kissed her hand. It was just the two of them in their own little cocoon.

"I love you, Owen," she whispered.

"I love you more," he said.

_**The End**_

* * *

**A/N So we have to come the end of Army Wife, I hope you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Please leave your final reviews. Thank you very much.**


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